Al Qaeda Targeting U.S. Infrastructure for Digital 9/11

freebeacon.com...

from article..Carlin said al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri recently issued a videotape statement indicating the group is planning cyber attacks against U.S. infrastructure—such as the electrical grids or financial networks.

Terrorists, nation states Carlin did not specify, and sophisticated criminal groups “have the capability now to cause significant damage” through cyber attacks.

One example of the kind of damaging infrastructure attack that can be expected in the future was the recent cyber attack against Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil company Aramco that destroyed some 30,000 computers used to control key elements of that country’s energy infrastructure.

Is this just more fear mongering or is this a real threat.The thing that popped in my mind was the grid attacks in cali.i believe thats where they were. so what do the more computer savoy guys think..

We reap what we sow and for American foreign policy over the years the harvest is coming in. If the "American Dream" had been a global thing we may have stood a chance, but now......

a reply to: switchqm8

Could be legitimate, could be simple fear-mongering. China and Russia seem to be far more capable in the hacking realm though.

Somewhat ironic considering it would be a technique we first used. If you're not familiar, do some research on the Stuxnet virus.

a reply to: CloudsTasteMetallic

yes i heard about that was that the one that blasted ac/dc i think it was..

a reply to: switchqm8

Oh, no, far nastier. It was used to cross air-gapped (not connected to the internet) infrastructure to sabotage the industrial computers used to control a uranium enrichment plant in Iran. Basically, it spun the enrichment tubs too fast to blow the highly sensitive motors, while showing no signs of anything wrong.

According to many security experts, given the high level of sophistication of the code, it almost HAD to be a state-sponsored job.

Wiki - Stuxnet

Stuxnet is a computer worm[1] that was discovered in June 2010. It was designed to attack industrial Programmable Logic Controllers or PLCs. PLCs allow the automation of electromechanical processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or centrifuges for separating nuclear material. Exploiting four zero-day flaws,[2] Stuxnet functions by targeting machines using the Microsoft Windows operating system and networks, then seeking out Siemens Step7 software. Stuxnet reportedly compromised Iranian PLCs, collecting information on industrial systems and causing the fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart.[3] Stuxnet’s design and architecture are not domain-specific and it could be tailored as a platform for attacking modern SCADA and PLC systems (e.g. in the automobile or power plants), the majority of which reside in Europe, Japan and the US.[4]

Stuxnet reportedly ruined almost one-fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges

Unlike most malware, Stuxnet does little harm to computers and networks that do not meet specific configuration requirements; "The attackers took great care to make sure that only their designated targets were hit...It was a marksman’s job."[47] While the worm is promiscuous, it makes itself inert if Siemens software is not found on infected computers, and contains safeguards to prevent each infected computer from spreading the worm to more than three others, and to erase itself on 24 June 2012.[36]

It is speculated that Stuxnet was created by United States and Israeli agencies to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.[9] Stuxnet initially spreads via Microsoft Windows, and targets Siemens industrial control systems. While it is not the first time that hackers have targeted industrial systems,[10] nor the first publicly known intentional act of cyberwarfare to be implemented, it is the first discovered malware that spies on and subverts industrial systems,[11] and the first to include a programmable logic controller (PLC) rootkit.[12][13]

it all sounds like hogwash.Who admits to something before they even did it ?

a reply to: CloudsTasteMetallic

oh wow thank u 4 the update.Yea things could get nasty if they take our grid down crazy times indeed

Better money than lives. Thankfully since they too rely on the internet for reqruitment and propganda I wont have to worry about them targetting the internet itself to make it go down which would be upsetting as its a major part of my social life although pretty much impossible for them to do that anyway. Although there is a problem. Just because they speaking of a cyber attack doesnt mean its necisarily digital. My doubts on their hacking abilities makes me speculate if they did something they may attack servers physically. The only thing people should worry about maybe is nuclear facilities but as far as i recall these places arent exactly hooked up to the internet so they can not be remotely bypassed

Russia and China are all ready in a cyber war with the U.S. in my opinion.

I wrote the following in a thread I started back in the spring called "You're the Next Victim of the Cyber Wars", but I'd been thinking about this since the previous fall.

I like your take on this, thanks for sharing your insights. There seems to be something bigger to this, I suspect that darkpos may have been developed and distributed to the criminal networks by a foreign country that may introduce more hacks to weaken the U.S. financially. The damage gets done and so many scammers are involved that it would not likely point back at the real perps. Blackpos is said to have originated in Russia or specifically the Ukraine. Seems like things have been heating up with Russia and the Ukraine lately hasn't it?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Welcome to World Cyber War One.

I actually have China, Russia, Ukrain, Israel, Syria, Nigeria among other countries IP adresses blocked from trying to acess my computer.