INFRASTRUCTURE

“Of late, there have been instances of hackers successfully penetrating the computer network of multiple utility companies. According to Alan Paller, director of the SANS Institute, an organization that hosts a crisis center for hacked companies “Hundreds of millions of dollars have been extorted, and possibly more. It’s difficult to know; because they pay to keep it a secret,” and adds that “This kind of extortion is the biggest untold story of the cyber crime industry.”

Since there has been no reported instance of serious IT security breach in infrastructure companies, there are lapses in such security in utility supplying companies. This is evident from an experimental cyber attack, reported by CNN, which caused a generator to self-destruct. This has caused widespread alarm in the federal government and electrical industry about the results if such an attack were carried out on a larger scale by terrorists.