Bøger af Clay Wilson

Cybercrime is becoming more organized and established as a transnational business. High technology online skills are now available for rent to a variety of customers, possibly including nation states, or individuals and groups that could secretly represent terrorist groups. The increased use of automated attack tools by cybercriminals has overwhelmed some current methodologies used for tracking Internet cyberattacks, and vulnerabilities of the U.S. critical infrastructure, which are acknowledged openly in publications, could possibly attract cyberattacks to extort money, or damage the U.S. economy to affect national security. In April and May 2007, NATO and the United States sent computer security experts to Estonia to help that nation recover from cyberattacks directed against government computer systems, and to analyze the methods used and determine the source of the attacks.1 Some security experts suspect that political protestors may have rented the services of cybercriminals, possibly a large network of infected PCs, called a "botnet," to help disrupt the computer systems of the Estonian government. DOD officials have also indicated that similar cyberattacks from individuals and countries targeting economic, political, and military organizations may increase in the future.2 Cybercriminals have reportedly made alliances with drug traffickers in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and elsewhere ...

Persistent computer security vulnerabilities may expose U.S. critical infrastructure and government computer systems to possible cyber attack by terrorists, possibly affecting the economy or other areas of national security. This report discusses possible cyber capabilities of terrorists and sponsoring nations, describes how computer security vulnerabilities might be exploited through a cyber terror attack, and raises some potential issues for Congress. Currently no evidence exists that terrorist organizations are actively planning to use computers as a means of attack, and there is disagreement among some observers about whether critical infrastructure computers offer an effective target for furthering terrorists' goals. However, terrorist organizations now use the Internet to communicate, and news reports have indicated that Al Qaeda and other groups may be using computer technology to help plan future terrorist attacks. At the same time, nuisance attacks against computer systems and the Internet are becomingmore rapid and widespread, indicating that computer system vulnerabilities persist despite growing concerns about possible effects on national security. This report presents a working definition for the term "cyber terrorism," plus background information describing how current technology and management processesmay leave computers exposed to cyber attack, and a discussion of possible effects of a cyber attack. ...

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an instantaneous, intense energy field that can overload or disrupt at a distance numerous electrical systems and high technology microcircuits, which are especially sensitive to power surges. A large scale EMP effect can be produced by a single nuclear explosion detonated high in the atmosphere. This method is referred to as High-Altitude EMP (HEMP). A similar, smaller-scale EMP effect can be created using non-nuclear devices with powerful batteries or reactive chemicals. This method is called High Power Microwave (HPM). Several nations, including reported sponsors of terrorism, may currently have a capability to use EMP as a weapon for cyber warfare or cyber terrorism to disrupt communications and other parts of the U.S. critical infrastructure. Also, some equipment and weapons used by the U.S. military may be vulnerable to the effects of EMP. The threat of an EMP attack against the United States is hard to assess, but some observers indicate that it is growing along with worldwide access to newer technologies and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In the past, the threat of mutually assured destruction provided a lasting deterrent against the exchange of multiple high-yield nuclear warheads. However, now even a single, speciallydesigned low-yield nuclear ...

This SpringerBrief explores features of digital protocol wireless communications systems, and features of the emerging electrical smart grid.

Provides background information for three types of attacks against computers (cyberattack, physical attack, and electromagnetic attack), and discusses related vulnerabilities for each type of attack. This title describes the possible effects of a co-ordinated cyberattack, or computer network attack (CNA), against US infrastructure computers.