Next Terrorist Attack will be from Cyberspace

The Quintessential ‘Smart Bomb’?

According to Australian security expert Luke Howie, a terrorist attack from cyberspace is more likely than a suicide bomber and could create more havoc. Carrying out a deadly attack would need little more than a personal computer, hacking skills and an extremist ideology.

“All over the world, we have a very heavy reliance on technological infrastructure and technological systems; nearly every part of our lives is run by computer systems and essentially that creates a vulnerability”.

“Once you have a technical system controlling a piece of infrastructure, something that could potentially cause damage if mismanaged, that technical infrastructure is automatically vulnerable to a (terrorist attack),” said Mr Howie, a research associate at the Australian Homeland Security Research Centre. “You can’t station troops on an information superhighway.”

Remember Y2K when the world was going to end the year 2000? Well this time it could be for real.

I can’t think of anything today that isn’t controlled by computers in one way or another. Imagine the aftermath of hurricane Katrina on a national scale. Absolute KAOS!

Disruption of essential services like fresh water, electricity, food, transportation, communications, emergency services… the list is endless and could spell disaster if a coordinated cyber-terrorist attack were to be successful.

It would be the ultimate ’smart bomb’. So what are the authorities doing about it?

I’m not one for fear mongering but it is a frightening scenario.