Cyber Pearl Harbor: Is it Possible?
Today is the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. On Dec. 7, a Japanese carrier fleet launched a series of air attacks on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, sinking several ships and destroying a number of aircraft.
A number of leading thinkers in cybersecurity have raised the possibility of a cyber “Pearl Harbor,” which might be needed to put the necessary impetus behind increasing cybersecurity. Some have scoffed at the idea, claiming to really destroy a system in the same way that part of the U.S. fleet was destroyed, is next to impossible in cyberspace. It would be possible to disrupt a system for several days, and perhaps even delete crucial data, but the network could still come back online.
Ira Winkler, a consultant who recently highlighted some of the problems with smart grid technology, now believes such an attack is possible.
Such an attack would be difficult to carry out and presently seems beyond the capabilities of anyone who would actually want to do so (ie terrorists). Governments, such as Russia and particularly China, likely have the capability, but it is currently not in their best interest to conduct such an attack. That being said, attacking the United States in World War II was not in the best interests of Japan, either. Hopefully, the United States will not need a catastrophic attack to “awaken the sleeping giant.”
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