mi2g investigates the threat of cyber terrorism

Corporate IT Update, Nov 11, 2004

CORPORATE IT UPDATE-(C)1995-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Security solutions supplier mi2g has published the results of a two-year investigation on the subject of cyber terrorism.

The company claims to have tracked over 8,600 hacker groups across the world and liaised with appropriate government agencies, insurance and reinsurance groups and major banks to assess the threat.

It is improbable that utilities such as water, electricity, gas and other critical infrastructure could be brought down by cyber terrorists without some physical assistance and insider help, claims mi2g. Hacking into utilities' networks is harder than planting a bomb.

The greatest threat is a combined physical and digital attack. Digital attacks that cripple emergency response, utilities, transport or telecomms with some insider help could be effectively employed by terrorists in conjunction with physical attacks.

The report concludes that the worst that can happen by way of very high probability is what has already been happening - email borne and network spreading malware, identity theft scams, DDoS attacks and malicious data modification through covert and overt attacks.

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