Infrastructure protectionCyber attacks on U.S. are becoming more lethal

The head of the U.S. Cyber Command said that cyber attacks on the United States are escalating from large-scale theft and disruption of computer operations to more lethal attacks that destroy systems and physical equipment.

The Washington Times quotes General Keith Alexander to say: “That’s our concern about what’s coming in cyberspace — a destructive element.” Alexander, who is also the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), said that future computer-based combat is likely to involve cyber strikes that cause widespread power outages and even physical destruction of machinery.

He said that the damage cyber attacks can do is illustrated by the electrical power outage in the Northeast United States in 2003, which was caused by the freezing of software that controlled the power grid after a tree damaged two high-voltage power lines, and the destruction of a water-driven electrical generator at Russia’s Sayano-Shushenskaya dam in 2009 which was caused by a computer operator remotely starting the generator while one of the dam’s turbines was being serviced.

Alexander said that these events highlight the threat of attackers breaking into electricity grid networks or remotely starting or stopping systems to cause destruction and loss of life.

CompoterWeekly reports that the U.S. government is adopting an “active defense” strategy aimed at strengthening the readiness of computer networks to respond.

CW notes that the U.K. government has come under fire from the Chatham House think-tank for failing to take a strong lead in protecting critical systems such as power and water from cyber attack.

The Chatham House reports notes that it is not clear who is targeting what and which systems and services are potentially vulnerable to cyber attack. The report urges the U.K. government to play “an integral role in informing wider society” and raising levels of awareness about cyber attacks on infrastructure assets.