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From China, With Love: Cyberwar the Next Big Threat to the U.S.?

September 26, 2007 6:12 PM

Fromchinawith_mn The White House is preparing a new initiative to protect against what it fears could be a crippling attack against the U.S. by computer, from overseas, and in particular, from China.   

After a series of cabinet-level meetings this month at the White House, computer security analysts say the Bush administration is considering creating a new agency or cyberwar center to better protect the federal government's computers and find ways to help private companies and public utilities fend off computer attacks.

Those attacks, which could be just a few key strokes away, could shut down U.S. power grids and communication and banking systems, security analysts warn.

"Basically we would find the lights go out, the dial tone stop and we have no ability to access our money," Sami Saydjari, founder and president of the Cyber Defense Agency, told ABC News.

Internet security companies, such as Akamai in Boston, are currently tracking thousands of attacks against the U.S. government and corporate computer systems every day.

"We would not be in a good situation if we were to enter a cyberwar today," Akamai co-founder and chief scientist Tom Leighton said.

On most days, the single biggest source of those attacks is China.

World News Video: Cyberwar: The Next Threat to the U.S.?

"A Chinese general has talked about how they would reach out through cyberspace and turn off the American electric power grid before any conflict with the United States," said Dick Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official and now ABC News consultant.

White House advisors say alarm bells sounded when this past June Chinese hackers got into the unclassified computers of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

"The intelligence community has come to the recognition that China and other foreign governments have free run of American computer networks," Clarke said.

In addition to long-distance hacking, U.S. experts are concerned Chinese-made computer equipment could be sabotaged in ways that are undetectable, the so-called Trojan horse attack.

"My fear is that there are many, many Trojan horses, many, many malicious codes in a large number of our critical systems," Saydjari said. "And that there are just waiting to be activated through some trigger at some time." 

The White House says it is asking for $6 billion in the latest budget to increase cybersecurity.

Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?

September 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (44)

User Comments

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I love these scare tactics the news organizations employ to get readers. Terror doesnt exist on the internet

Posted by: charlieSchitz | Sep 27, 2007 8:31:38 AM

The DoD has a secure system. It's called the SiprNet, and it's used for information that is classified. It does not have connectivity to the Internet, so if you made every DoD employee use this network and did away with the unclassified network, they would have to do what they did in the days before they had internet access - work! The civilian companies that are responsible for maintaing the primary backbone of the internet should be given the legal authority - with immunity from lawsuits - to sever the connections to China at the first sign of a possible cyber attack. If enough events happen that there starts to be an impact on the Chinese economy, maybe they will decide to play nice.

Posted by: Bob | Sep 27, 2007 9:53:36 AM

Here we go again. This administration can't be replaced soon enough. Remember when the U.S. government resembled a democracy?

Posted by: John | Sep 27, 2007 9:53:50 AM

ttch-"This is like blaming the bridge collapse on the pigeon poops."

LOL you got that right!!

Posted by: kiloroy was here | Sep 27, 2007 10:30:44 AM

This is old news...the military has substantial computer response units. Bottom line is that networks are not defendable. I guess the government can stand up a new agency hire 5000 people can claim that they did something, so that when it does happen and everything goes bad, they can claim, "we were trying to fix the problem..."

Posted by: Ed | Sep 27, 2007 10:46:28 AM

Why aren't we hiring hackers instead of placing them in jail? They are the ones that can find a backdoor to anything! Hire them to come and fix the stuff. At least it would be done right, we all know that the goverment can't handle it. Atleast not correctly.

Posted by: Cliff | Sep 27, 2007 10:47:02 AM

How new is this news? Why is it being put into the "news hole" at this time? What other Internet happenings are afoot? Any regulatory or tax measures?

Posted by: Finn | Sep 27, 2007 11:42:54 AM


Why is everyone so surprised by these ghosts of terror? If there are any of you out there who would remove your heads from the noose of the problems of this world and look to the Bible, you would find what the future of the world is - as well as your own future.

Jesus battled terrorists during his ministry. He has the answers, if you search for them.

Posted by: Dennis McLelland | Sep 27, 2007 11:48:20 AM

Sure,it is another "Saddam Hussein is trying to acquire weapons of mass distruction!

Posted by: victor | Sep 27, 2007 12:14:52 PM

Are we kidding ourselves? Our politicians at all level are all crooked and untrustworthy. They only look out for their best interests which are money (Greed), power. We're rotten from within.

Posted by: nathan nguyen | Sep 27, 2007 12:37:02 PM

Seems strange that so many are willing to discount the threat of domestic terrorism simply because Bush says it exists and yet these are the same people that want us to spend billions on global warming because Al Gore says so….. Terrorism is a much more real and immediate threat than global warming.

Posted by: C. Keenan | Sep 27, 2007 12:56:59 PM

Simple enough to defeat. Stop trading with an enemy who has stated a number of times it intends to attack us with nukes, intends to undermine our economy and destroy us. What part of that do you have a problem understanding? THEY are the ENEMY, and no part of our bribery is going to make them change their stripes. They are a Communist country, and Communists are bent on turning the world into a dictatorship. Has 60 years of history taught you nothing? Sheesh!

Posted by: Marc | Sep 27, 2007 3:02:30 PM

This fascinates me: government computer networks (except just perhaps DoD) are among the LEAST secure in the nation, and yet we have government making all these pronouncements of threat and trying to engineer "fixes" to problems that often have already been solved in industry and in academia. Cyber attack is not new: we have been battling it (and getting better and better at that) since before the Code Red worm in 2001. But it seems that whenever this insane administration shouts "terrorism" a whole gaggle of self-proclaimed sideline "experts" stand up to tell us all that this is more real than actual threats like global warming. These Sunday couch-quarterbacks actually deserve this administration: I just wish the rest of us did not have to endure their co-dependent folly.

Posted by: Jordan | Sep 27, 2007 3:30:42 PM

Oh, Gee a new fake threat to our nation. Well, we better start monitoring all communications between US and China now. So anyone I.M.'ing your buddy in China, watch out....big brother is listening because you guys might be planning to shut down the power. Gimme a break...another guise to enact more power.

Posted by: Kellog | Sep 27, 2007 5:53:06 PM

Several thoughts: 1) For as ominous as this threat may be, let us not forget the Chinese economy is chugging along due to our market buying anything coming from China through "Wal Mart", "Target", etc, therefore, shutting our economy down would not be in their best economic interest; 2) We won't say much to the Chinese about this (or any other threat they represent) because we need them to buy our debt; 3) Therefore, a symbiotic relationship has resulted where death to one results in death to the other. If we, as American citizens, really wanted to do something about this, stop buying with credit cards, start saving money in American banks (so it can be loaned to to other Americans), start buying American Treasury notes, and start shopping American (even if that means on a very local level). We, the people, are going to be the only ones who can take back this power, our policitians (of all political stripes) have vested interests that do not serve us, the citizens.

Posted by: Mike Pollard | Sep 27, 2007 6:21:25 PM

And to think, most Americans support this stuff from China by buying all the "Made in China" crap from WalMart, et al. You know, the toys with lead paint, toothpaste with anti-freeze, pet food with poison, etc. People buy this crap because it's a little cheaper, so Americans are put out of work, and it supports these wonderful efforts from China.

Posted by: Mark K | Sep 28, 2007 8:15:15 PM

This is a sticky one... to shut down trade to China means to close down all Walmarts across the country. You want to see civil unrest? Walmart has consumed all small mom & pop stores in its path like Star Trek's Borg...there is nothing to replace it for all too many communities in America.

Posted by: Rick_VT | Sep 28, 2007 8:36:58 PM

It's a real problem and should be dealt with to protect our infracture

Posted by: BTL musings | Sep 30, 2007 4:36:33 AM

Nothing new! This has been going on for a LONG time. Most Favored trading partner has become the enemy and still we trade with them! Wake up and smell the roses. Buy American!!!

Posted by: Al | Oct 2, 2007 1:47:41 AM

I propose a moratorium upon ALL goods manufactured and imported from China. Close ALL trade with them and maybe the American workforce will come back to its former glory. Mark my words, if we do not China will be the death of America.

Posted by: Timothy Yost | Oct 12, 2007 9:37:59 PM

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