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A Cyberattack Could Wreak Destruction Comparable to a Nuclear Weapon

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday August 21 2019, @11:19AM   
from the anarchy-and-chaos dept.

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow3196

A cyberattack could wreak destruction comparable to a nuclear weapon

People around the world may be worried about nuclear tensions rising, but I think they're missing the fact that a major cyberattack could be just as damaging—and hackers are already laying the groundwork.

With the U.S. and Russia pulling out of a key nuclear weapons pact—and beginning to develop new nuclear weapons—plus Iran tensions and North Korea again test-launching missiles, the global threat to civilization is high. Some fear a new nuclear arms race.

That threat is serious—but another could be as serious, and is less visible to the public. So far, most of the well-known hacking incidents, even those with foreign government backing, have done little more than steal data. Unfortunately, there are signs that hackers have placed malicious software inside U.S. power and water systems, where it's lying in wait, ready to be triggered. The U.S. military has also reportedly penetrated the computers that control Russian electrical systems.

As someone who studies cybersecurity and information warfare, I'm concerned that a cyberattack with widespread impact, an intrusion in one area that spreads to others or a combination of lots of smaller attacks, could cause significant damage, including mass injury and death rivaling the death toll of a nuclear weapon.

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Original Submission

• Could Denmark use The Cyber? Could Denmark use The Cyber? (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday August 21 2019, @03:42PM (1 child)

  by DannyB (5839) on Wednesday August 21 2019, @03:42PM (#883183) Journal

  DENMARK does not possess nuclear weapons. [acronym.org.uk] As a state party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1970, it is recognised as a Non-Nuclear Weapon State (NNWS). It has signed and ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

  DENMARK is a state party to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) and is a state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). As at January 2012, DENMARK is a state party to the Mine Ban Treaty and is a state party to the Cluster Munitions Convention. DENMARK signed the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in June 2013, and ratified it in April 2014.

  Maybe Denmark could effectively use a cyber attack to prevent from being annexed?

  As Londo Mollari says, make them a protectorate of the greater Centuari Republic!

  _{(the baby wants the new toy he saw, he's going to cry and hold his breath until he gets it!)}

  --
  The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.

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

• Re:Could Denmark use The Cyber? (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 21 2019, @06:33PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 21 2019, @06:33PM (#883268)

  By Denmark you mean the state or the royal family as its owners?

  Parent