The World According to Oatney

A prophecy of doom?

Few people alive today who are a part of the workforce would argue that the internet has become a major part of American life. Even if you don't have access at home, the odds are becoming greater now that you probably have access to the internet at work or school. Internet communication is so common that it is no longer the taboo that it once was for people to admit that they met their Significant Other online. There is so much data somehow tied up in the net from government institutions to your local bank that if there were a significant attack on the internet, it would cause a major national disruption, perhaps even a panic.

Some experts from the Pew Research Institute are predicting that such an attack on our nation's internet network infrastructure could happen at some point within the next ten years.

Two out of three experts agreed that such an attack would occur, according to "The Future of the Internet," a report released Monday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which researches the impact of the Internet. The 1,286 respondents were experts chosen by the pollsters and colleagues the experts referred.

Other "experts" seem to think that the use of the word "devastating" is a bit of an overstatement.

Those interviewed said the Internet would recover in hours or days from a software-based attack -- far from devastation. A physical attack on the Internet infrastructure – such as destroying fiber optic cables at hubs in numerous key cities -- would be more harmful and long-lasting but unlikely because it would be so difficult to carry out, the experts said.

Here lies the question: While I agree that an internet virus or "worm" will not cause widespread devastation to America's internet capabilities, no one seems to be taking seriously the possibility of a large-scale physical attack on internet or IP infrastructure, a situation for which North Americans seem woefully unprepared. Because we have taken massive precautions to prevent another 9-11-style terrorist attack, the most vulnerable part of America's infrastructure is now the internet. Is anyone in Washington taking that threat seriously?


The Chicago Tribune contributed part of the news and study information for this post.

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 11:25 AM