Securing the Lines of a Wired Nation

October 5, 2001 | Source: New York Times

U.S. retaliatory strikes for the tragic Sept. 11 events may result in cyberattacks against the American electronic infrastructure, according to the Institute for Security Technology Studies.
Richard A. Clarke, who will head cyberterrorism efforts for the Bush administration’s Homeland Security Council, said in a speech last December that the government had to make cybersecurity a priority or face a “digital Pearl Harbor.”

A determined coalition of hackers, he said, could disrupt 911 service, air traffic control, the power-switching centers that move electricity around the country, rail networks and more.