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Homeland Security warns of 'cyber 9/11' if US doesn't pass CISPA 2.0


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Homeland Security's Napolitano invokes 9/11 to push for CISPA 2.0

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.(Reuters / Baz Ratner)

In an attempt to scare the public with a looming cyber attack on US infrastructure, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is once again pushing Congress to pass legislation allowing the government to have greater control over the Internet.

Napolitano issued the warnings Thursday, claiming that inaction could result in a “cyber 9/11” attack that could knock out water, electricity and gas, causing destruction similar to that left behind by Hurricane Sandy.

Napolitano said that in order to prevent such an attack, Congress must pass legislation that gives the US government greater access to the Internet and cybersecurity information from the private sector. Such a bill, known as CISPA or Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, was already introduced last year, but failed to pass in Congress due to concerns expressed by businesses and privacy advocates.

“We shouldn’t wait until there is a 9/11 in the cyber world. There are things we can and should be doing right now that, if not prevent, would mitigate the extent of the damage,” Napolitano said in a speech at the Wilson Center, a Washington, DC think tank.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has also been a strong advocate for increased governmental grip on the web and in October warned that the US is facing a possible “cyber-Pearl Harbor” by foreign hackers.

“A cyber attack perpetuated by nation states or violent extremist groups could be as destructive as the terrorist attack of 9/11,” he said during a speech. “Such a destructive cyber terrorist attack could paralyze the nation.”

Last September, Napolitano reiterated disappointment with Congress for failing to pass the cybersecurity legislation in August.

“Attacks are coming all the time,” she said in a speech at the Social Good Summit. “They are coming from different sources, they take different forms. But they are increasing in seriousness and sophistication.”

Despite Homeland Security’s constant warnings that hackers could shut down critical US infrastructure, the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 was shot down by the Senate in August, even though the Obama administration had pushed for the bill in numerous hearings and briefings.

Privacy advocates had expressed concern that the US government would be able to read Americans’ personal e-mails, online chat conversations, and other personal information that only private companies and servers might have access to. The head of the National Security Agency promised it wouldn’t abuse its power, but critics have remained skeptical.

A coalition of Democrats this year pledged to make this legislation a priority.

“Given all that relies on a safe and secure Internet, it is vital that we do what’s necessary to protect ourselves from hackers, cyber thieves, and terrorists,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the new chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

The White House is also working on an executive order that would encourage companies to meet government cybersecurity standards.

http://rt.com/usa/news/napolitano-us-cyber-attack-761/

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Not really sure how sifting through private e-mails exactly saves people from a cyber terrorist attack. They aren't very good cyber terrorists if they send information through things they know can be traced and read. I think people more or less have to give in to the fact that e-mails, sites they visit, forums, and everything are probably looked upon by someone. Your ISP can see it, and whoever else does on top of that.

Contrary to popular belief, stuff that 'hides' your IP doesn't hide the fact it's coming from or going to your computer, and your ISP knows about your computer. And not only that, think of other people that use the same type of things you do. You end up inevitably having a target painted on you and probably more liable to be tracked down because they'd want to see why you were trying to hide. They might not be able to see what you're doing since it becomes encrypted, but they can see the encrypted stuff going to you. They'd see the encrypted data being downloaded in roughly the size of a download of a song or something, etc.

In short, just believe that other people read what you say sometimes. And people might know about weird sites you visit.

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So there will be a false flag operation designed to justify the lockdown of the internet? Okay.

What's funny about this announcement is that Anonymous just hacked into a government website and threatened to activate a 'web warhead' of sorts unless demands are met. This was done in retaliation to internet activist Aaron Swartz's untimely and suspicious death.

We are entering an era where information, not gold or cash, will be the most valueable commodity. Information that in the future could level the playing field between social classes. Information that is currently being hoarded by private enterprises and governments. And the theory is that those in power want to charge user access for this information. Information that should rightly be free to access by anyone.

We are entering an era where technological advances, if made available to everyone, will bring forth a new social equilibrium and possibly utopia. You can see where those currently in power will do anything to stop that from happening.

False flag operations. Shut down people's ability to take money out of their accounts for awhile. Or disable credit for awhile. There will be mass panic and therefore a justification to lock down whatever they want.

Good thing we all still have our guns though. Because they'll do a lot to stop them from taking away our rights. Oh wait. No they won't.

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Not really sure how sifting through private e-mails exactly saves people from a cyber terrorist attack. They aren't very good cyber terrorists if they send information through things they know can be traced and read. I think people more or less have to give in to the fact that e-mails, sites they visit, forums, and everything are probably looked upon by someone. Your ISP can see it, and whoever else does on top of that.

Contrary to popular belief, stuff that 'hides' your IP doesn't hide the fact it's coming from or going to your computer, and your ISP knows about your computer. And not only that, think of other people that use the same type of things you do. You end up inevitably having a target painted on you and probably more liable to be tracked down because they'd want to see why you were trying to hide. They might not be able to see what you're doing since it becomes encrypted, but they can see the encrypted stuff going to you. They'd see the encrypted data being downloaded in roughly the size of a download of a song or something, etc.

In short, just believe that other people read what you say sometimes. And people might know about weird sites you visit.

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I don't really mind annonymous and the hacker activists and stuff, but most of the time to 'send a message' to the 'man', they end up hacking websites and sharing data of normal people online and seeing "See? Told you so." While they might get that company in trouble, what about all the personal information they leaked and might've let slip to bad people? That's the part I don't really agree with.

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I don't really mind annonymous and the hacker activists and stuff, but most of the time to 'send a message' to the 'man', they end up hacking websites and sharing data of normal people online and seeing "See? Told you so." While they might get that company in trouble, what about all the personal information they leaked and might've let slip to bad people? That's the part I don't really agree with.

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If you look at what the US is doing, it is slowly whittling away at personal freedoms. Take it all at once and you get a revolution but slowly and no one notice and cares.

Many are critisized at being conspiracy theorists etc but look at facts.

1. Airports (they can read your texts, listen to your conversations), see you pretty much naked

2. Listening to your phone calls/emails texts if they think they have a reason

3. Guns (althought I agree but in the context of freedoms here)

4. Now controlling the internet

Controlling information allows you to create the perceptions and views you want, a very dangerous game and the US media is already very good at that, it is only external media sources, twitter other public sources that now allow truth to come out. The media is supposed to be a government watch dog but is now its puppet, so blocking access to real information is extremely dangerous...

One mentioned a false flag and I know what that person is referring to...its quite frightening what you can learn when you think about things and do research. The US is moving closer and closer to a facist society and they don't even know it...

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These potential cyber-attacks would all be targeting closed internal networks - power, water, banking, emergency communications - it has nothing to do with the internet. Nobody should be able to hack into those sorts of systems using the same internet as we are for this thread. They need to be looking at where their hardware is sourced from, first of all, and their network security second.

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