Proposed bill would give president emergency control of Internet

[Y2HH]

Not sure if this was posted -- but it's alarming enough (IMO) to post just in case...

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html

[lostfan]

I'll withhold any comment until I read more about it.

[Texsox]

IIRC there are similar measures for television, radio, shortwave, etc.

[Jenksismyhero]

wtf could possibly happen that would require this? Some rogue terrorist group sending out massive amounts of tweets?

 

 

[StrangeSox]

http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2009/...up-to-snuff.ars

[Texsox]

wtf could possibly happen that would require this? Some rogue terrorist group sending out massive amounts of tweets?

 

 

Comrades, Whitney Houston is back! We will bury Amerika wid tweets!

[lostfan]

wtf could possibly happen that would require this? Some rogue terrorist group sending out massive amounts of tweets?

I'm not an expert on the topic but I think the threat of cyberterrorism is completely overrated. It's not really possible to attack the entire Internet at once, so what's a nightmare scenario? A virus that takes down your bank's/cellphone's website, so it goes down for a day or so while they recover everything? Somehow hacking and taking over a government website and stealing secrets? All of the really important stuff is pretty insulated from that kind of thing and in some cases it's basically impossible, for all intents and purposes.

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm not an expert on the topic but I think the threat of cyberterrorism is completely overrated. It's not really possible to attack the entire Internet at once, so what's a nightmare scenario? A virus that takes down your bank's/cellphone's website, so it goes down for a day or so while they recover everything? Somehow hacking and taking over a government website and stealing secrets? All of the really important stuff is pretty insulated from that kind of thing and in some cases it's basically impossible, for all intents and purposes.

My thoughts as well. These scenarios people cook up in their heads where someone takes down the financial sector or some such nonsense are pure fantasy. Its just not possible - the systems are so disparate and so differently secured by each organization and agency that you simply could not do it.

 

The more likely attack would be on a single, high value target.

 

[kapkomet]

My thoughts as well. These scenarios people cook up in their heads where someone takes down the financial sector or some such nonsense are pure fantasy. Its just not possible - the systems are so disparate and so differently secured by each organization and agency that you simply could not do it.

 

The more likely attack would be on a single, high value target.

All they have to do is re-route another way (they being the backbone of the internet). It's not like there's one single backbone that can be cut. Gees.

[vandy125]

My thoughts as well. These scenarios people cook up in their heads where someone takes down the financial sector or some such nonsense are pure fantasy. Its just not possible - the systems are so disparate and so differently secured by each organization and agency that you simply could not do it.

 

The more likely attack would be on a single, high value target.

 

Here is an example from just 2005 of something that could have brought down the internet:

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazi...currentPage=all

 

If you find a way to get at a core piece of technology on the internet, you can do some damage. I have no idea how likely it is though.

[Texsox]

How does one prepare for the unknown or unthinkable? That seems like the challenge that is being considered here. Imagine preparing for an atomic bomb during WW1. That seems to be the situation. My fear is they use that scenario to take away more freedoms. But, I hope the ACLU is looking into this.

[StrangeSox]

Apparently our energy infrastructure is vulnerable to foreign attack. That could really screw us up if the attack was done by a foreign government in concert with an attack.

 

Not sure it means that the proposed measure is a good idea though.

[kapkomet]

Apparently our energy infrastructure is vulnerable to foreign attack. That could really screw us up if the attack was done by a foreign government in concert with an attack.

 

Not sure it means that the proposed measure is a good idea though.

That's already been proven - they know that the Chicomms have accessed our electric grid, more or less to see if they could. They can. D'oh.

 

[lostfan]

That's already been proven - they know that the Chicomms have accessed our electric grid, more or less to see if they could. They can. D'oh.

There's not much I can or will say about this specific subject, but I'll say the Chinese are very, very good at what they do and I have no idea what our government is supposed to do to stop them. Although if they did it's not like they'd share that information with everyone anyway.

[kapkomet]

There's not much I can or will say about this specific subject, but I'll say the Chinese are very, very good at what they do and I have no idea what our government is supposed to do to stop them. Although if they did it's not like they'd share that information with everyone anyway.

I think that we know what they do, but the way our system's set up, we can't stop it.

 

Then again, if any serious war were to happen, no one would have any electricity or any other means of communication anyway anymore. And I don't think it's "star wars" crap, either. Electromagnetics are a b****.

 

[lostfan]

I think that we know what they do, but the way our system's set up, we can't stop it.

 

Then again, if any serious war were to happen, no one would have any electricity or any other means of communication anyway anymore. And I don't think it's "star wars" crap, either. Electromagnetics are a b****.

I wasn't talking about that, but you're right about this too.

 

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/arti...o_business.html

 

They s*** they can do and get away with is staggering.

[kapkomet]

I wasn't talking about that, but you're right about this too.

 

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/arti...o_business.html

 

They s*** they can do and get away with is staggering.

Well, I meant something totally different as well besides the pure e-sponiage. I was talking about the electromagnetic munitions that pretty much zap crap out.