DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

transportation and utility systems - also known as “critical infrastructure”.Because technologies have improved our access to information, we haveopened ourselves up for attacks by our enemies to destroy or alter this data.Cyberterrorism is different than computer crime or “hactivism” (which canbe costly and a pain to fix but doesn’t threaten lives or public safety.)Cyberterrorism is usually done with a minimal loss of life but there aresome groups that could use cyber attacks or cyber warfare to cause humancasualties or fear by disrupting transportation or public safety systems.For example, prior to Russia invading Georgia in 2008, Georgian Internetservers were overloaded by multiple coordinated distributed denial ofservice (or D.D.O.S.) attacks. These attacks crippled Georgia’s government,media, communications and transportation web sites before and afterRussian troops entered South Ossetia. It’s the first time a cyberattackcoincided with a shooting war according to some Internet experts. 6We are not trying to cause worry or panic, but understand the possibilityexists and services could be disrupted or cut off or man-made disasterscould happen due to cyber attacks. For example, services like banking, gaspumps, or internet access could be down or slow. And some emergencyplanners are concerned a cyber attack combined with a physical act ofterrorism (like a “dirty bomb” or releasing a chemical or biological agent)could potentially interfere with response capabilities.Most countries have agencies committed to securing and monitoring criticalinfrastructure and share information on a regular basis. Businesses andconsumers can help too by taking some preventative measures.BEFORE A CYBER ATTACK:Protect computers - Make sure your computers and wireless devices havecurrent anti-virus software and firewalls, and update and scan them often.Learn about US-CERT - Consumers and businesses should take some timeto visit the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team and learnmore about Internet security at www.us-cert.govStay current on threats & alerts - The Department of Homeland Securitywww.dhs.gov and Public Safety Canada www.publicsafety.gc.ca postalerts and news about national security online.What .. no services? - Think about how you would handle not having accessto the Internet, phones, ATMs and other electronic devices you use daily. Acyber attack could disrupt or crash systems so have a backup plan andlisten to authorities for updates.www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-432587