Panetta: “Cyber attack can be destructive as the terrorist attack on 9/11″
By Nofar Gueta | October 15, 2012
On a speech held at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York (Oct. 11th), American defense secretary, Leon Panetta, had addresses the growing threat of cyber-attacks, stating that the American nation is facing a “cyber pearl harbor”.
In this ever-evolving new battle domain, the nature of attack has shifted, according to Mr. Panetta; In addition to industrial espionage and “traditional” cyber-criminal acts such as theft identities, there is a larger threat –
“…the greater danger facing us in cyberspace goes beyond crime and it goes beyond harassment. A cyber attack perpetrated by nation states are violent extremists groups could be as destructive as the terrorist attack on 9/11. Such a destructive cyber-terrorist attack could virtually paralyze the nation.”
Panetta concern is based, among other things, on the latest massive denial-off-service attack against top U.S financial institutions, as well as the high profile attacks against energy companies Aramco and Ras-Gas, in which the “Shamoon” destructive malware was executed.
These attacks symbolize a “significant escalation of the cyber threat”, due to their ability to paralyze the state facilities and infrastructures, as well as creating severe damage to the economy.
“…The collective result of these kinds of attacks could be a cyber Pearl Harbor; an attack that would cause physical destruction and the loss of life. In fact, it would paralyze and shock the nation and create a new, profound sense of vulnerability.”
Unsurprisingly, these statements led to a massive media reaction. But despite being dramatic and headline-creating, the scenarios described by Panetta’s are far from imaginary; In fact, they are more tangible than ever. The vast majority of the facilities we use on a daily bases (from irrigation to transportation) are computer embedded, and based on the targeted attacks executed in the last few years, it seems that no one is immune (not even security-giants themselves).
Panetta’s speech leaves no room for mistake. While a few year back the question needed to be asked is weather one’s business in under a threat, today the approach being held is closer to “when and how” kind of question. Cyvera, as a pioneer of this approach, aims to prevent the upcoming threat.
Based on our research, we have come to realize that one of the main infection vectors that is being used in order to launch these attacks are exploitations of software vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities enable the attacker to gain an unauthorized access to the attacked organization’s systems and networks.
Cyvera solution eliminates any threats of this kind even if it relays on an unknown vulnerability known only to the attacker (Zero-Day), which many time is the case in state-to-state cyber-attacks. Cyvera specializes in eliminating the non-standard and sophisticated threats, which are usually directed to cause significant damages or gaining access to extremely sensitive information. Cyvera’s unique technology allows it to stay one step ahead of the attacker, protecting the customers even from tomorrow’s threats.