Cyber Warfare

With the recent crisis with Iran I thought I'd do a quick primer on Cyber Warfare.

I don't know if anyone recalls these events
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrimack_Valley_gas_explosions
I made a post about it.

This is what Cyber Warfare could look like. Instead of an accident, you simply hack in and re-program the system so the new "proper" pressure level is far, far too high.


In the UK in 2004 a programming problem caused both over and underpayments, in addition to simple problems with various cases, and ended up maxing out at $7 Billion in uncollected payments. This was caused by an accident and poor programming, accidents can be caused on purpose.


A direct attack on a larger pipeline can have consequences.

Airports can be sent into chaos.

Simple viruses and worms can be released.

Companies can be induced to lose hundreds of millions.


you can even cause other kinds of accidents.


Major blackouts.

Attacks on the Water network.

The Phone Network can be taken offline.

Airplanes can crash.


Beyond this you can simply use your imagination to think of different ways to use computers to make bad things happen. Theoretically you could...


Use false readings to make a nuclear plant blow itself up

Use false signals to make trains crash in to one another

Use false announcements to make people run the wrong way in a fire/disaster

Use false data to make hospitals kill instead of save people



Now

I'm not here to cause panic.

People who work for the companies that are responsible for this stuff know all of this. They secure their systems, as, more often, the attacker is not another nation, but some bored hacker looking to make some money. More and more places before more and more secure. Some of these, like re-programming an airplane or releasing a virus, have major problems to their being used (Airplanes don't tend to be re-programmed easier, and viruses could hit you)

Instead I'm simply here to help you understand what a cyber attack could look like.

With any luck, there will not be any nation-to-nation cyber warfare any time soon.