READY FOR WWIII?The cyberwar against the U.S. has begun.

The Risk of a “Cyber Pearl Harbor”There is no question that our world is increasingly at risk because of terrorists like ISIL and Al Qaeda. But a growing chorus of experts warn the ultimate threat may come via a computer, not a dirty bomb.

“Physical terrorism is appalling, and might yet achieve some hideous triumph with weapons of mass destruction. But our main strategic weakness, to groups like ISIL or state actors from Moscow to Beijing to Teheran, lies in a cyber Pearl Harbor where everything from electricity to communications goes dead. It wouldn’t just expose us to conventional attack, it would make one superfluous….” (“National Post View: We won’t take cyber security seriously until it’s too late,” National Post, 12/15/15.)

Whitfield Diffie, a leader in computer cryptography, told NBC News, “To my mind, the most critical thing is our grand vulnerability not to physical terrorism, but to a cyber attack on our critical infrastructure…power…gas and water, transportation, banking, communications…opponents who have real capability to survey these systems stand a chance of developing a technique for causing them to collapse.” (“For Renowned Cryptographer, Encryption Remains As Important As Ever,” NBC News, 12/10/15.)

While politicians attempt to downplay the risk of a “Cyber Armageddon,” the nearly uninterrupted attacks against the United States have finally prompted national security officials to publicly acknowledge the dangers posed by cyber attacks. James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence,

testified: “Cyber threats to U.S. national and economic security are increasing in frequency, scale, sophistication, and severity of impact. The ranges of cyber threat actors, methods of attack, targeted systems, and victims are also expanding. Overall, the unclassified information and communication technology (ICT) networks that support U.S. government, military, commercial, and social activities remain vulnerable to espionage and/or disruption…Despite ever-improving network defenses, the diverse possibilities available through remote hacking intrusion, supply chain operations to insert compromised hardware or software, actions by malicious insiders, and mistakes by system users will hold nearly all ICT networks and systems at risk for years to come.” (“Statement for the Record, Worldwide Cyber Threats House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence,” 9/10/15.)

The former director of the NSA’s cryptologic training operations, Cedric Leighton, was more blunt: “It’s very important for all organizations, whether they be governmental, NGO-type or private sector enterprises, to realize one salient thing: we are really all at war...” (“Former NSA cyber expert: We are all enlisted in the cyber war,” V3.co.uk, 11/20/15; emphasis added.)

What will this war look like? John McAfee, founder of the computer anti-virus software company which bears his name, and Rob Loggia, a “white hat” hacker, wrote a chilling warning of a “cyber doomsday machine” waged by terrorists against the United States:

The West is living in ‘a doomsday machine of our own design’, and it’s only a matter of time before our weapons and technology are turned against us.– Cyber security expert John McAfee (“John McAfee: We have created a cyberwar doomsday machine that Isis can turn against us,” IBT, 12/15/15.)

“While we fatuously debate whether or not to put soldiers on the ground in some Middle Eastern nation or another…the fact is that the rules of engagement for 21st century conflicts lie along different lines. What good will tanks, planes and missiles be if you cannot locate the enemy to engage them? And what will the outlook be for us as the enemy takes down massive pieces of our infrastructure at will, without ever setting foot on our shores?

And if we are unable to protect our networks, everything connected to them can be infiltrated by hackers. In our modern world this includes our power grid, nuclear power stations, planes, cars and our entire financial infrastructure. These will be the weapons of cyberwar – turned against us in a perversion of their intended purpose. We are living in a doomsday machine of our own design – one that when activated will make the Battle of Antietam look like a Sunday picnic.” (“John McAfee: We have created a cyberwar doomsday machine that Isis can turn against us,” IBT, 12/15/15.)

Respected journalist Ted Koppel’s new book, “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the

Aftermath,” similarly envisions such an attack upon our infrastructure:

“Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. Tens of millions of people over several states are affected. For those without access to a generator, there is no running water, no sewage, no refrigeration or light. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Devices we rely on have gone dark. Banks no longer function, looting is widespread, and law and order are being tested as never before.

It isn’t just a scenario. A well- designed attack on just one of the nation’s three electric power grids could cripple much of our infrastructure – and in the age of cyberwarfare, a laptop has become the only necessary weapon.” (“Analysts predict ‘cybergeddon’ would follow prolonged power outage following hack attack,” Cyberwar News, 12/9/15.)

The Enemy: Major Powers, Rogue Nations and TerroristsThe United States has publicly identified two super powers, Russia and China, and two rogue nations, Iran and North Korea, as “threat

actors” who are “reconnoitering and developing access to U.S. critical infrastructure systems, which might be quickly exploited for disruption if an adversary’s intent became hostile. In addition, those conducting cyber espionage are targeting U.S. government, military, and commercial networks on a daily basis.” (“Statement for the Record, Worldwide Cyber Threats House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence,” 9/10/15.)

These attacks have already led to increasing threats to our national and economic security. China reportedly stole more than 21.5 million government personnel and contractor records from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The stolen information included highly sensitive information related to background investigations of current, former, and prospective federal government employees, subjecting those employees to the risk of blackmail. “Such information could be exploited to pressure or trick employees and U.S. officials into further compromising their agencies, or they could provide ways for hackers to target people outside government….” (“22 Million Affected by OPM Hack, Officials Say,” ABC News, 6/9/15.)

The Director of the FBI stated facetiously there are “two kinds of big companies in the United States. There are those who’ve been hacked by the Chinese, and those who don’t know they’ve been hacked by the Chinese.” (“China cyber-war costing US billions: FBI chief,” Yahoo News, 10 /6/14.)

READY FOR WWIII?The cyberwar against the U.S. has begun.

The annual losses caused by Chinese hackers number in the billions. However, these attacks are not merely designed to obtain or disrupt sensitive financial information. Russia reportedly used a computer virus against Georgia’s gas pipeline to create an uncontrolled pressure build-up leading to a massive explosion. (“The next war will be an information war, and we’re not ready for it,” Phys.Org, 11/27/15.)

And while we may hope for some restraint from nations who could be subject to retaliation by the United States, the same cannot be said for the terrorists pledged to our destruction. Cybersecurity experts such as Eugene Kaspersky, the co-founder and chief executive of global IT security firm Kaspersky Labs, warn that “if we face this cyberterrorism, it will be very unpredictable in a very unpredictable place, but with very visible damage. Unfortunately, there are many possible victims.” (“Cyberterrorists to target critical infrastructure,” CNBC, 1/27/15.)

The risk of such an attack is very real according to the FBI Director, who stated that “cyberattacks against Americans have become a popular strategy for some terrorist groups that had found it difficult to infiltrate or recruit followers in the U.S.” (“FBI Director Sees Increasing Terrorist Interest in Cyberattacks Against U.S.” WSJ, 7/22/15.)

Countries like Great Britain have already begun preparing for a

crippling cyber attack. The U.K.’s Chancellor, George Osborne, explained why his country was investing time and money in shoring up its cyber defenses against terrorists.

“For our country, defending our citizens from hostile powers, criminals or terrorists, the internet represents a critical axis of potential vulnerability. From our banks to our cars, our military to our schools, whatever is online is also a target. We see from this place every day the malign scope of our adversaries’ goals, their warped sophistication and their frenetic activity.

The stakes could hardly be higher – if our electricity supply, or our air traffic control, or our hospitals were successfully attacked online, the impact could be measured not just in terms of economic damage but of lives lost.

ISIL’s murderous brutality has a strong digital element. At a time when so many others are using the internet to enhance freedom and give expression to liberal values and creativity, they are using it for evil.

Let’s be clear – ISIL are already using the internet for hideous propaganda purposes; for radicalization, for operational planning too. They have not been able to use it to kill people yet by attacking our infrastructure through cyberattack. They do not yet have that capability. But we know they want it, and are doing their best to build it.

So when we talk about tackling ISIL, that means tackling their cyber threat as well as the threat of their guns, bombs and knives.” (“Chancellor’s speech to GCHQ on cyber security,” 11/17/15.)

Are You Prepared?When a cyberattack destroys our energy grid, our financial institutions, or our national defense systems, will you be prepared to wait out the weeks or months until order is restored?

Will you have the resources you need, including a hard asset currency like gold and silver legal tender bullion, to acquire the basic necessities?

We owe it to ourselves and our family to heed the warning from the editors of the National Post who wrote: Terrorism still matters, as does crime. But if we are hit by a bolt from the blue, the odds are increasingly that it will be digital. We should govern ourselves accordingly.

Terrorism still matters, as does crime. But if we are hit by a bolt from the blue, the odds are increasingly that it will be digital. We should govern ourselves accordingly.