No matter what Donald Trump says, sentient beings recognize the fact that Russia had a field day with the Democratic Party apparatus. (The Russians probably attacked the Republican Party, too- but they kept that data for their own internal use.) And, those same sentient beings also recognize that this was the primary Democratic party sites (and certainly John Podesta’s eMail)- they didn’t seem to hack Hilary Clinton’s private server.
But, most folks paid ZERO attention to the fact that Russia has also hacked the Ukraine’s electric grid system. The Russians took over 30 power distribution systems within a 30 minute period a year ago (23 December 2015). It was part of their campaign to attack the region and inflict damages on the country. (By the way, just in the last quarter of 2016, Ukraine’s government was cyber-attacked more than 6500 times.) And, who were the actual perpetrators? The same group that hacked the DNC.
You know what else? These folks have also hacked the US electric grid. Got your attention now? We’ve already seen that California’s substations have been hit. And, a substation is a critical component within our electric power transmission network. Because it controls the voltage levels and the flow of power to our homes, offices, and manufacturing sites.
Moreover, as I’ve reported before, taking down one small power supplier would still jeopardize entire sections of the US, because of the interconnected networks and the backup deals all our power companies make with one another. If you don’t think that will terrorize US citizenry, I have a few bridges in Arizona you might want to buy. (Note- those bridges probably are not hack proof, either!)
And, while the US talks a big game about cybersecurity, we do next to nothing to make us safe. Compare that to Israel, which has been a target for Arab nations for more than 6 decades. It has committed to cybersecurity in a big way. Well over $ 500 million is spent annually for this purpose. (Consider that the US spends just a little more than that (I am not talking about “outreach” projects, but actual spending on security measures and research) – but the US has 40X the population with a GDP 60X that of Israel’s.)
Of course, a good portion of Israel’s economy is dependent upon cyber, and its cyber activity dates back to the Yom Kipur War (1973). One of Israel’s premier universities (Ben Gurion, in the Negev) has extensive programs. And, it is surrounded with cyber’s version of Silicon Valley, replete with cyberwarfare and cybersecurity military and civilian entities. Let us not forget that the StuxNet attack worked because Israel targeted Siemens’ centrifuges specifically- and Siemens was known to be supplying Iran (despite the embargoes).
We’ll continue this tomorrow. Because it’s important.
We disagree about the election. But since that’s not the focus of this post, let’s not dwell. 🙂 I have been reading other things about the vulnerability of our electric grid. Not only is it scary stuff, but surprising, really, that nothing has happened thus far. Really interesting about Israel’s example. I’m not surprised.
Susan Landry recently posted..New Year, New Blogs (and a Blogger Recognition Award!)
Well, Susan.
You are right- it’s not about the election. (However… Mr. Trump certainly has an interesting perspective on security.)
And, we need to make sure our security leaves us secure.
Thanks for the visit and the comment!
Always interesting, and this time not too far over my head. 🙂 There have been a couple of movies and/or television shows where taking out the electric substation was the bad guy’s intention. Made perfect sense why. Thank for the information.
Nita recently posted..Never To Old for Stuffed Animal Comfort – A Devotion
I try to bring things down to the “everyperson” level, Nita.
And, there are plenty of shows- but that doesn’t seem to reach the attention of our legislators. Or, maybe they are just too busy getting their bribes (oh, I’m sorry- their political contributions) to make any changes.
This is all so scary! When will it end? It probably won’t in my lifetime.
Martha recently posted..Wordless Wednesday – Our Beautiful January Rose Buds Still Blooming
Well, Martha…
It might, if we really take some action!
But, we both know that is not about to happen.
Yecho!
As a home dweller with electric heat, living where snowstorms are many and cold temperatures are the norm, having electric heat sucks. However, if I had oil heat and a furnace, I’d still need electricity to run the pump to get the oil to the furnace and have it heat my home.
Since I rent, I can’t install an alternative source of heat, such as a wood-burning stove.
So, if and when (it’s inevitable) the power goes out, it’s a good thing we have spare blankets, flashlights and candles.
As an ordinary citizen, I worry about cyber security as well. As I’ve experienced my host being hacked and losing all of the information on one of my blogs, it’s frightening and frustrating. I blindly do things online that are likely a risk to having my identity stolen as well. The internet tries to give us an unwarranted sense of security. We should all be very afraid.
Jane Porterfield recently posted..Are You Guilty of Pimping Your List?
Jane:
I had my site hacked once. And, that’s when I realized that as wonderful as WordPress is, because it’s ubiquitous, it’s also imperfect.
And, I’m hoping your heat stays perfect- because if yours goes, mine won’t be far behind.
Thanks Roy for such an important topic. I heard from an associate today that their website was held for “ransom”. Cyber security is THE hot topic of today!
Yes, Anne.
I’ve been complaining how unsafe we are- and how we don’t take the proper precautions. Tomorrow, the saga continues.
Thanks for the visit and the comment!
Are you hinting at some huge tech crisis in the US. It worries me to the core. Do keep writing and informing us about the developments up there. Looking forward to reading more such posts as part of UBC.
Mayura Amarkant recently posted..My Shadow…Have you seen it anywhere?
I wish it were just one cohntry. This is a world-wide threat!