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Electronic Pearl Harbor : How vulnerable is our interlinked infrastructure. Sai Kumaar. V SU- ID: 29188-8982 11/20/2001. Introduction.
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Electronic Pearl Harbor : How vulnerable is our interlinked infrastructure Sai Kumaar. V SU- ID: 29188-8982 11/20/2001
Introduction • The government's evidence about U.S. vulnerability to cyber attack is shaky at best.Information warfare: The term conjures up a vision of unseen enemies, armed only with laptop personal computers connected to the global computer network, launching untraceable electronic attacks against the United States. Blackouts occur nationwide, the digital information that constitutes the national treasury is looted electronically, telephones stop ringing, and emergency services become unresponsive. • But, is such a thing possible? • The only basis on which we have to judge that at the moment is the sketchy information provided by the government. But the government is not going to disclose – too sensitive info. • Will the private sectors disclose? No.
Study: Hoaxes There are many hoaxes and myths on information warfare from official reports to newspaper stories. Result: confusion over what is real and what is not. • Article on Computer Crime in FBI’s Law and Enforcement • ( Dec ’96) – Clinton Virus : People who read were new to the subject and took it seriously. • Hoaxes have propagated much more successfully. • Penpal greetings and antivirus software.
Study: Virus Writers Many viruses are written with malicious intent. Virus as directed weapons??…Failure. It is impossible for the most expert virus write to anticipate the complexity and heterogeneity of systems that virus will encounter. Human error is always present All software no matter how well-behaved, harbors errors often unnoticed by the its authors. Military organization: Sophisticated computer virus requires – intimate knowledge
Hackers: Nuisance • Pryce and Bevan – Air Force research labs, Rome, NY. • Limiting factor: Knowledge of systems they are attacking. Conclusion • The time and effort spent dreaming up scary info-war scenarios would be better spend bolstering computer security • Hoaxes • Virus • Intruders • Security