Stuxnet Threat Cyber Security Appears

Stuxnet Threat

Cyber security appears to be more and more important as time marches forward. There are many vulnerable soft spots for a virus to attack and weaken any community, city, state or nation. This essay will evaluate some of these vulnerable areas that are susceptible to infrastructure attacking virus's such as Stuxnet. This essay will also present some ideas on how to best protect against these types of attacks.

Marks (2011) suggested that the Stuxnet worm that did some much damage is different. He wrote "it is the first piece of malware so far able to break into the types of computer that control machinery at the heart of industry, allowing an attacker to assume control of critical systems like pumps, motors, alarms and valves in an industrial plant. In the worst case scenarios, safety systems could be switched off at a nuclear power plant; fresh water contaminated with effluent at a sewage treatment plant, or the valves in an oil pipeline opened, contaminating the land or sea." This situation that governments and institutions are faced with presents some real dangers as the entire energy grid that supports and maintains civilization is at risk from a quiet digital virus that can take control from the inside out.

In order to protect these systems it is best to develop some contingency plans that allows the functioning of mandatory system in case of such attacks. If possible it may be wise to take some of these services off line and resort to human management . This however does not eliminate the risk of emergency shut downs or corruptibility, but it does present a new, although regressive approach to solving this problem.

Legislation and laws may help bring light to the problem but cyber attacks move to quickly to fall victim to those measures. The speed and quick pace at which opportunities present themselves in cyberspace ensures that laws will soon be outdated as technology and computing ability continues to evolve and grow beyond our ability to manage it.