Cyberterror impact, defense under scrutiny

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2004 | by Jon Swartz

SAN FRANCISCO -- A terrorist threat is out there -- and not just against physical structures.

A coordinated cyberattack against the USA, the world's most wired nation, could topple parts of the Internet, silence communications and commerce, and paralyze federal agencies and businesses, government officials and security experts warn.

Such an attack could disrupt millions of dollars in financial transactions, hang up air traffic control systems, deny access to emergency 911 services, shut down water supplies and interrupt power supplies to millions of homes, security experts say.

But from whom the attacks would come is unclear. Intelligence shows al-Qaeda is more fixated on physical threats than electronic ones, government officials and cybersecurity experts...