Could Future Cyberattack Really Be That Devastating?

'Cyber Pearl Harbor': Could Future Cyberattack Really Be That Devastating? -- Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor

Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure like the power grid ‘could be a cyber Pearl Harbor,’ Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned in October. Some others say the concept is overblown.

On the 71st anniversary of "a date which will live in infamy," the United States faces the possibility of an updated digital version of that threat – a "cyber Pearl Harbor."

That's according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who in an October speech warned of a "cyber Pearl Harbor" threat and the need to bolster America's cyberdefenses. Also, in the 2010 book “Cyber War,” former White House counterterrorism adviser Richard A. Clarke warns of an "electronic Pearl Harbor."

Read more ....

My Comment: I lived through the great ice storm of 1998 that did not only create incredible icy conditions everywhere, but it also resulted in electricity being cut off for millions of people (my power was off for 8 days) .... this got even more serious a week after the storm when outside temperatures plummeted to -20C. Guess what .... we survived .... and so will America if a cyber attack knocks out our critical infrastructures.