DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: AL QAEDA'S CYBER ATTACKS ON U.S. UTILITIES

Al Qaeda launches cyber offensive against U.S. utilities

The U.S. intelligence community has determined that al Qaeda could become capable of shutting down utilities in the United States.

The assessment asserted that al Qaeda has managed to become linked to hackers who succeeded in penetrating utility grids outside the United States. This capability allowed hackers, including those aligned with al Qaeda, to blackmail the utilities.

"We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet," said Tom Donahue, the CIA's top cybersecurity analyst.

In an address to a trade conference in New Orleans on Jan. 16, Donahue issued the first CIA warning to the power and utility industry of a cyber offensive. CIA officials said Donahue's speech was meant to alert the industry to the urgent need to improve computer security.

"Cybersecurity is a different kind of threat, however," said Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Joseph Kelliher. "This threat is a conscious threat posed by a single hacker, or even an organized group that may be deliberately trying to disrupt the grid."

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Officials said the threat by al Qaeda hackers to shut down power grids have yielded millions of dollars. They said this could represent a major source of income for terrorists as they plan a major strike on the United States.

"We have information, from multiple regions outside the U.S., of cyber-intrusions into utilities, followed by extortion demands," Donahue said. "We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge."

Officials said the cyber threat to U.S. power and water grids increased significantly in 2007. They said hackers believed linked to al Qaeda, Cuba, Iran and North Korea were seeking to exploit the wireless Internet connections that link distant infrastructure to utility headquarters.

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"We have information that cyberattacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the U.S.," said Donahue. "In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities."

Industry analysts said the CIA warning was based on new intelligence that identified al Qaeda-aligned hackers, many of them operating with criminal intent, as an imminent threat to the North American power sector. The analysts said hackers have cost companies more than $20 billion annually to devise counter-measures.

"According to Mr. Donahue, the CIA actively and thoroughly considered the benefits and risks of making this information public, and came down on the side of disclosure," said the SANS Institute, which sponsored the meeting.



Pertinent Links:

1) Al Qaeda launches cyber offensive against U.S. utilities