Vulnerability, Online and Off
A recent wave of cyber attacks again demonstrates the need to step up protections online.
For anyone who questioned the seriousness of Internet hacking or the need for better online security measures, recent weeks should remove any doubt.
A series of high-profile cyber attacks have compromised financial data, intelligence and other sensitive information. Over the weekend, a company that works with the FBI reported that someone had hacked nearly 180 employees’ email accounts and posted the passwords online.
The report coincided with a breach at one of Nintendo’s U.S.-based servers and followed the repeated hacking of Sony’s PlayStation Network, which affected personal data for more than 100 million users. Google, meanwhile, announced it had disrupted an effort, originating in China, to steal Gmail account information of human rights advocates and U.S. officials.
The shadowy groups responsible for the attacks have claimed all sorts of justifications for their actions, but the overriding message has been consistent and alarming: Online security is painfully inadequate.
Most Internet users understand that nothing in email should be considered private, but rarely have so many instances of hacking in such a short period of time shown how vulnerable the world’s cyber infrastructure actually is.
Everyone is at risk, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Every facet of public and private life is connected to the Internet, including the power grid, banking, air and rail transportation and industrial operations. Security has not kept pace with the spread of online services into every aspect of life.
Which, in turn, provides ample opportunity for loosely organized outfits and clandestine government units to wreak havoc on government, personal and corporate services and programs.
Some experts have suggested U.S. and Israeli officials tested the Stuxnet virus before it sabotaged Iran’s nuclear program two years ago. The British confirmed last week that intelligence officials hacked a Yemeni al-Qaida affiliate’s newsletter, replacing bomb-making instructions with a cupcake recipe.
This is the new front for homeland security and the war on terror. It has led Defense officials to conclude, as they revealed last week, that the United States could justify using military force in response to cyber attacks that constitute an act of war.
While it’s not clear how significant or damaging an attack would have to be, the DoD’s position underscores the risks and consequences of a digital world.
Perhaps more disconcerting, however, is the prospect that no matter how much government agencies and the private sector invest in security, it may not be possible to close off every online avenue for hackers.
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