SoylentNews

Squirrel 'Threat' to Critical Infrastructure

posted by mrpg on Friday January 20 2017, @08:32AM   
from the squirrels-are-coming dept.

randomerr writes:

The real threat to global critical infrastructure is not enemy states or organisations but squirrels.

Cris Thomas has been tracking power cuts caused by animals since 2013.

Squirrels, birds, rats and snakes have been responsible for more than 1,700 power cuts affecting nearly 5 million people, he told a security conference.

He explained that by tracking these issues, he was seeking to dispel the hype around cyber-attacks.

His Cyber Squirrel 1 project was set up to counteract what he called the "ludicrousness of cyber-war claims by people at high levels in government and industry", he told the audience at the Shmoocon security conference in Washington.

Squirrels topped the list with 879 "attacks", followed by:

• birds - 434
• snakes - 83
• raccoons - 72
• rats - 36
• martens - 22
• frogs - three

He concludes that the damage done by real cyber-attacks - Stuxnet's destruction of Iranian uranium enrichment centrifuges and disruption to Ukrainian power plants being the most high profile - was tiny compared to the "cyber-threat" posed by animals.

Also at Arstechnica

---

Original Submission

• Re:What if these were trained animals? Re:What if these were trained animals? (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday January 20 2017, @12:28PM

  by LoRdTAW (3755) on Friday January 20 2017, @12:28PM (#456486) Journal

  Wait, I thought it was the muslims. Did we switch bogeymen, again? Damn, gotta keep up.

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		2

• Re:What if these were trained animals? (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 20 2017, @12:39PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 20 2017, @12:39PM (#456489)

  {Russians} ∪ {Muslims} ≠ {}

  Parent

• Re:What if these were trained animals? Re:What if these were trained animals? (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday January 20 2017, @03:12PM

  by DannyB (5839) on Friday January 20 2017, @03:12PM (#456559) Journal

  We have always been at war with Eastasia.

  --
  To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.

  Parent

  • Re:What if these were trained animals? (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday January 20 2017, @08:52PM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Friday January 20 2017, @08:52PM (#456695) Journal

    I'm smashing my Eurasia banners as we speak. See you next hateweek.

    Parent

• Re:What if these were trained animals? (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 20 2017, @04:56PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 20 2017, @04:56PM (#456598)

  Muslim Suicide Squirrels. I've got a few of them watching me from the trees right now. They think that I'm a religious nut.

  Parent