"Al-Qaeda...has a website? Why don't we use their website to, you know, track down these guys?"
- John Stewart
As much as I try to hide my Tyra-diction, I must admit that I just finished watching a Tyra Show special about cyber-bullying--someone says something insensitive over MySpace, someone reacts, someone's life is ruined, and so on and so forth. It's kind of ridiculous, and alarmingly prevalent--or at least, that's what Tyra says. Normally, it's also a bit ridiculous to me when people try to liken the relationships between nations to human relationships (if the US and Turkey are friends, does that make the US and France frenemies? Is Iran just a bitch or does it secretly like Israel?), but it looks as though cyber-bullying might just make the cross-over.
Here's the problem: the United States is not the only country that uses the internet. Shocker, I know. Also, there are nerds like you and me (well, maybe you) who know how to hack into data networks and wreak havoc. The White House isn't as hi-tech as it would need to be to be truly badass, but Barack Obama's Blackberry use aside, the Pentagon uses computer networks. So do the FBI and the CIA, and major banks throughout the country. If hackers get into the network, it could truly cause problems for Americans in all walks of life. What happens when nerds with sinister motives flex their muscle?
SO THE QUESTION IS: How seriously should the U.S. take cyber attacks?
While putting up a naughty picture on the White House website might be incentive enough for "cyber-terrorists", the damages are far reaching. The United States is considered the most internet-dependent nation in the world (CNN 08/18/08), so a disruption in the system means that not only am I not able to indulge my Facebook addiction, but that major business transactions and data transfers can't take place. Indeed, those hardest hit thus far are private businesses, which rely on the internet to keep track of and keep in touch with their customers (Washington Post 04/15/09). For them, hackers can translate into loss of capital. The internet is to the United States economy is what precise time-keeping was to the transcontinental railroad--without it, you could crash and burn.
Indeed, this could become a new theatre of war--a networking race, rather than arms. Wouldn't that be nice? The problem is, the United States isn't a very big target. In recent weeks, the only people targeting our fine networking system have been punks from China, which pale in comparison to the attacks on Georgia from Russia (Times of India 04/16/09). Though both were relatively crude, the crudeness of Georgia's internet networking meant that the attacks could actually be felt. The United States is simply too cool to be hacked into at this point--but that doesn't mean that it will never feel the burn.
Realistically, the countries and NGOs adamant about hating on the US aren't up to the task--the only truly internet-savvy "enemy combatant" would be Iran. In order to be a hacker of this order, you need many people to be internet-literate, which doesn't exist in a place like North Korea, where only 4% have access (NYT 10/23/06). The Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and other Islamist movements have websites and internet supporters, but Mullah Omar is comparable to John McCain in his e-mail savvy. Countries like Iran, China, and Russia, on the other hand, have a heavy youth-fueled internet culture, and places to learn how to hack. Thanks to Mr. Obama, these are the countries that may sound kind of scary, but may not actually be huge threats. While cyber-bullying could become a genuine concern, it doesn't need to be the president's top priorty. You know, like the giant hole in the federal budget.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Cyber-attacks have the potential to become a concern for administrations down the line. It's inevitable. But at this point in time, the advances made in business internet use, the sophistication of the US government's system, and the relative lameness of those at fault mean that, at this point, cyber-terrorism is little more than CNN ticker-fodder. But the Pentagon ought to take note, lest Hezbollah put up a picture of Robert Gates in a less-than-gentlemanly situation from that party last Saturday.
CNN
Times of India
Washington Post
The New York Times
