Gerald Greene's Blog, page 5

Should We Worry About Cyber Warfare Attacks?

Cyber warfare cyber attacks on Mideast energy firms was among the most destructive acts of cyber warfare to date according to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Force Valor Revenge is a newly published novel that examines the possibility of crippling cyber warfare attacks on the US.

Cyber Warfare Could be a ‘cyber-Pearl Harbor’

 

In a recent speech addressing the Business Executives for National Security Panetta says, “The collective result could be a ‘cyber-Pearl Harbor’: an attack that would cause physical destruction and loss of life, paralyze and shock the nation, and create a profound new sense of vulnerability.”

Cyber Warfare Attack Would Hit Electricity Generation Hard



cyber warfare force valor

In a recent speech addressing the Business Executives for National Security Panetta says, “The collective result could be a ‘cyber-Pearl Harbor’: an attack that would cause physical destruction and loss of life, paralyze and shock the nation, and create a profound new sense of vulnerability.”

“The collective result,” Panetta said, “could be a ‘cyber-Pearl Harbor’: an attack that would cause physical destruction and loss of life, paralyze and shock the nation, and create a profound new sense of vulnerability.”

Panetta also issued a warning to would-be attackers, saying the Pentagon is better able now to identify who is behind an attack. “Potential aggressors should be aware that the United States has the capacity to locate them and hold them accountable for actions that harm America or its interests,” he said.

Cyber Warfare Addressed in Force Valor

Force Valor Revenge is a fast paced techno thriller novel set in 2017 that examines some of the consequences of cyber warfare and cyber terrorism. The novel foresees the use of Special Forces hunter killer teams to track down and assassinate even heads of state who dare use cyber terrorism and cyber warfare. A tough minded, bold, newly elected third party US President has a plan to restore and protect America.

The author, Gerald Greene, has written four other techno thriller novels that are available at Amazon.

Technothriller Thought Provoking War Novel

Techno thriller Novel. Written in detailed technothriller style On the Brink War with Iran Vol lV takes you into the difficulties and unexpected consequences of what a US/Iran war would likely bring. View the war through the eyes of Marine Col. Brad Rogers as US boots hit the ground in southern Iran. Any war is ulgy. The war with Iran would be ugly and brutal; not only for the troops but for civilians in far away America.

On the Brink War with Iran Vol lV will make you think. Is war really the answer to our problems in the mid-east? The On the Brink series is interesting reading for those who follow world affairs.

David Petraeus is No War Hero

David Petraeus is No War Hero says Movie Director Oliver Stone.

What? Not a hero. Isn’t this the General who single-handedly won the war in Iraq? Isn’t this a General who rewrote the Army Field manual for counter insurgency warfare, applied those COIN policies in Afghanistan, talked President Obama into sending an additional 60,000 troops there, and completely turned the disastrous Afghanistan war around?

According to Oliver Stone David Petraeus Created Myth of Hero General

Oliver Stone is no stranger to controversy. As the director of films such as El Salvador, Born on the Fourth of July, and Platoon, he has shown American foreign policy and American exceptionalism in an unflattering light. His criticism of David Pertraeus is simple. An examination of what the man has actually done compared to his list of accomplishments and praise bestowed upon him by the media just don’t match up.

American Media made David Petraeus a National Hero

General David Petraeus was already a 50-year-old two star General before in Iraq seeing his first combat. While David Petraeus undoubtedly is a brilliant man with leadership skills Petraeus critics call Petraeus a politician in a General’s uniform. Of course, that comment was made before David Petraeus was appointed CIA director by President Barack Obama. According to the media as CIA director Petraeus became even more of an American hero, one who could do no wrong. That is, until a sex scandal broke around him and led to his resignation.

David Petraeus Sex Scandel Shouldn’t Even be an Issue

One doesn’t become a General without being an alpha male. That fact and the alure of a General’s uniform covered with brass buttons and fruit salad should make it no surprise that a top ranked general attracts the attention of military groupie females.

The shame of it all is that the media largely gave David Petraeus a free pass regarding his performance in Iraq and Afghanistan. Actually it was much more than a free pass; Petraeus couldn’t have received more praise than if he was writing his own press releases, which very likely he was.

David Petraeus Record is Far Less Impressive than his Reported Performance


David Petraeus CIA Director

A close examination of his actual performance reveals that his so-called “success” in Iraq resulted from paying off Sunni insurgents to stop shooting at American troops and to shoot at targets selected by David Petraeus. This led to the use of death squads. While he was in command the civil war in Iraq intensified.

After being given command of American forces in Afghanistan he talked, some would say conned, President Obama into deploying 60,000 additional troops. Since the surge in 2009 conditions in Afghanistan have deteriorated further and today are a total disaster.

But why am I telling you this? View the video and see how a decorated Vietnam War veteran views matters. Oliver Stone makes the case much better than I. David Petraeus had the media eating out of his hand until the sex scandal broke. He served the nation as well as many other General’s but he, nor they, should be classified as war heroes. Other than Grenada and Panama the United States hasn’t won a war since World War II. But David Petraeus is a master politician. He even managed have his own sex scandal.

On the Brink War with Iran Vol lV

Action adventure book that will have you nervously wondering — could it turn into a nonfiction tale?On the Brink War with Iran Vol lV Follow the battles, hardships, suffering, and resilience of Colonel Brad Rogers an family as the four part series examines some of the probable terrible consequences of the US getting involved in another war in the Mid-East. On the Brink places a human face to war that will make you think of your own situation. How would you an your family deal with a war that takes America to the brink of collapse?

On the Brink War with Iran Vol V to be released late 2012.

How to Overcome Envy and Jealousy

Envy and jealousy are not the same emotion. The main difference between envy and jealousy is that envy is an emotion related to wanting for yourself what someone else has. Jealousy is the emotion related to the fear and apprehension that something you already have will be taken away by someone else.

Envy and Jealousy can be Very Damaging to Relationships

 

Envy and Jealousy

Envy and jealousy are often confused with love. They often are found in the same individual and are directed towards someone of value, someone the affected person wishes to or already is in a relationship with. Unchecked the emotions may cause bad behavior. The confusion with love can make for stormy and unpleasant episodes in any relationship.The emotions often appear in individuals with low self-esteem and a low level of self-confidence.

How to Overcome Envy and Jealousy

This short book by the title How to Overcome Envy and Jealousy is easy to read and offers practical advice on how to keep envy and jealousy under control and with a conscience effort in time overcome the emotions.

Practical advice is also given about how to improve self-esteem and to become a more positive and confident person. Examples of in envy and jealousy are given by discussions between Jane and Matt, two hypothetical people introduced to the book who are having difficulties with their relationship.

Self Help Book on Envy and Jealousy gets Right to the Heart of the Issue. No Fluff.

Envy and jealousy are common emotions which you most humans exhibit at least at some time in their life. You shouldn’t beat yourself up for occasional bouts of these emotions. However, if you find yourself frequently frustrated and angry in a relationship you need to be honest about the source of your feelings. If you and your partner are suffering problems due to excessive envy and jealousy issues this little low cost book may help you to attack the problem and build a more satisfying relationship.

To start again from the Home Page : How to Overcome Envy and Jealousy.

Strait of Hormuz to be Closed by Iran Lawmakers

Strait of Hormuz tensions increase. With sanctions against Iran gradually showing their ineffectiveness, Washington is escalating the situation in the Persian Gulf, as if encouraging Tehran to attack first, a US politics professor told RT. The game of chicken reachs new levels as Iran lawmakers introduce a bill to close the Strait of Hormuz to shipping of nations that participate in sanctions.

Strait of Hormuz Tensions Lead to Fourth US Aircraft Carrier Battlegroup Deployed to Region

 

Amid pressure mounting on Tehran, a major Indian company, United India Insurance Co., has agreed to provide insurance for tankers carrying oil from Iran. Insurances are vital for sea transportation. Without insurance, tankers are unable to deliver oil from one destination to another. This decision displeased American policymakers who are sending a fourth aircraft carrier battle group into the Gulf region close to the Strait of Hormuz.

The decision of an Indian company means a serious blow to the effectiveness of the US sanctions against Iran in a bid to crank up the pressure over the country’s nuclear activities. The sanctions target companies accused of breaching a European ban on buying oil from Tehran.

Simultaneously, to give their sanctions policies some military support, the US is sending fourth air carrier to the Persian Gulf region near the Strait of Hormuz. It has also been announced that America deploys underwater drones to deal with sea mines Iran might plant in the Strait of Hormuz to block the vital route.

Strait of Hormuz Tensions Create a Dangerous Chance of Miscalculation

“The more warships the US moves [to the region], the more threatened Iran is going to feel and there is more chance of triggering some kind of mistake,” explains Patricia DeGennaro, professor of politics at New York University. She says the act of sending more warships to the region is a dangerous game of “dare”. A miscalculation near the Strait of Hormuz could escalate into a war.

“I don’t know what they are going to achieve by putting more warships in the region. This is a very bad move. Maybe they are trying to make Israel feel safer, but in fact again that is a very dangerous game that is almost daring somebody to strike first,” the professor believes.

Iranian lawmakers have drafted a bill that would close the Strait of Hormuz for oil tankers heading to countries supporting current economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

“There is a bill prepared in the National Security and Foreign Policy committee of Parliament that stresses the blocking of oil tanker traffic carrying oil to countries that have sanctioned Iran,” Iranian MP Ibrahim Agha-Mohammadi told reporters.

“This bill has been developed as an answer to the European Union’s oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Agha-Mohammadi said that 100 of Tehran’s 290 members of parliament had signed the bill as of Sunday.

With Increased Sanctions Iran’s Threats to Close Strait of Hormuz Escalate


US Air Craft Carrier
Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s threats to block the Strait of Hormuz waterway through which about 17 million barrels a day sailed in 2011 have grown in the past year as US and European sanctions aimed at starving Tehran of funds for its nuclear programme have tightened. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping route through which most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq and nearly all the gas exported from Qatar sails. An EU ban on Iranian oil imports came into effect on Sunday.

Investigative journalist and historian Gareth Porter believes the bill’s introduction is a step in a series of actions that Iran can take to hamper oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, causing oil prices to skyrocket. “What we can look forward to in the coming weeks and months is that the Iranians will make a series of moves, beginning with this bill in the Majlis, threating to pass the bill; if that doesn’t have an effect, certainly going ahead with the passage,”

Porter told RT. “Then first in a series of limited moves towards threatening to actually put mines in the strait to prevent the shipping of oil from going through. And then, I think, Iranians have the option of a very limited use of mines, with very few mines being dropped in this strait to try to get the price of oil to shoot up, for one thing, and to get the United States to react.”

Strait of Hormuz World’s ‘most important oil transit chokepoint’

The US Energy Information Administration, a statistical and analytical agency within the Department of Energy, said the Strait of Hormuz was the world’s “most important oil transit chokepoint,” with a daily flow of 17 million barrels per day in 2011. This constitutes roughly 35 per cent of all seaborne traded oil, or 20 per cent of all oil traded worldwide, according to the agency.

The agency also estimates that an average 14 oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day last year, with a corresponding number of empty tankers entering the Persian Gulf to pick up new shipments. Over 85 per cent of the oil tankers passing through the strait were heading to destinations in East Asia, the majority of these going to China, India, South Korea and Japan.

Concerns over the Strait of Hormuz shutdown have prompted a number of Arab nations to seek alternative for its oil exports. The United Arab Emirates recently unveiled the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline with a terminal in Fujairah, which is situated on the Gulf of Oman coastline past the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline has a capacity of about 1.5 million barrels per day, still short of the UAE’s total oil production of 2.5 million barrels a day.

Iraqi officials recently announced plans to construct a pipeline to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, allowing it to bypass the gulf altogether. The Saudi Arabian East-West pipeline linking the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea is also being mulled as part of a possible bypass.

However, that pipeline has a capacity of up to 5 million barrels a day, less than half the daily oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia also recently reactivated the Iraqi Pipeline in Saudi Arabia, which also transports oil to the Red Sea, but has a comparatively meager capacity of 1.65 million barrels a day.

Read More: Strait of Hormuz : Iran lawmakers prepare to close Hormuz Strait

2012 Apocalyptic Forecasts and End of Mayan Calendar

Apocalyptic Forecasts Surround Judgement Day 2012 Mayan Calendar Doomsday Prophecy

 

Apocalyptic forecasts seem to be present from nearly the beginning of human life on earth. Humans are as vulnerable to Doomsday predictions as their ancestors of thousands of years ago. After surviving Judgment Day, May 21, 2011 people are now concerned about the end of the Mayan calendar and Judgment Day Decenber 21, 2012. And after the December 21, 2012 date you can be sure that another end of time date will be promoted by those who find a way to cash in on the public’s concern.

Apocalyptic Forecasts for 2012 Prophecy Not Actually in Mayan Calendar

The Mayans were an extraordinary people who developed an empire that existed in what is now tropical low-lying Guatemala. The empire peaked around the sixth century A.D. The Mayans left behind impressive achievements in agriculture, pottery, hieroglyphic writing, advanced mathematics, astrology, and calendar-making. Their civilization vanished about 900 A.D. leaving behind impressive structures whose ruins are now tourist attractions.

The Mayans used their astounding knowledge of astronomy to develop a calendar that is remarkable for its accuracy. It is the last day of the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012, that lead many people to believe that day will be Judgment Day and foster apocalyptic forecasts. The mysterious disappearance of the advanced Mayan civilization probably adds to the concerns of many religious and superstitious people that the end of the Mayan calendar is a doomsday prophecy. Apocalyptic Forecasts seem to be becoming more frequent as 2012 pass by.

Humans Have Long Worried About End of the World Doomsday Prophecies and Apocalyptic Forecasts

Since the beginning of civilization people have been intrigued and concerned by doomsday prophecies and apocalyptic forecasts thinking about when doomsday may arrive. Judgement Day 2012 is no exception. In fact, interest seems stronger than ever.

Every major religion, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism have their own versions of the final decisive battle between good and evil and when Judgment Day might come. That means most people on this earth believe that eventually there will be a Judgment Day and that good will eventually triumph over evil. The prospect of a final terrible battle fuels apocalyptic forecasts. And apocalyptic forecasts can be expected to grow in number as 2012 draws to an end.

Millions of People the World Over Prepare Just in Case Apocalyptic Forecasts Have Merit

There is now a significant number of people around the world who are making extensive preparations for doomsday and apocalyptic forecasts. These people are known as preppers and have fueled an entire industry of those who provide doomsday hardened shelters, survival gear, survival food that will survive long-term storage, and survival training and advice.

Some of the survival shelters are quite elaborate and are sold as condominium units to those who can afford high six-figure and low seven-figure price tags. Should there be a catastrophic disaster, for example a large asteroid striking the earth, it is unlikely that any shelter, wherever located, will save the occupants. Many apocalyptic forecasts involve a sizable asteroid striking the earth.

Vesta Asteroid

The fear of a apocalyptic asteroid strike is not without merit and explains why so many apocalyptic forecasts center around asteriods. Scientists believe that approximately 65,000,000 years ago a large asteroid hit the earth and caused such destruction that almost all life on earth, including millions of mighty dinosaurs, was destroyed. The earth has been hit numerous times by asteroids large enough to cause extensive damage although fortunately and obviously none have delivered a in of life event. Even in modern times there have been a number of near misses.

In galactic terms a near miss would be any object that passes closer to the Earth than the Earth’s moon. Scientists have been scanning the skies for years looking for objects that are on a collision trajectory with Earth. The great problem is that present technology doesn’t give us any viable means of destroying a large asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth. Even if a potentially earth destroying object is detected authorities would have to struggle with the considerable problem of whether a potentially earth destroying event should be made known to the public. Just imagine. If you knew that you would be incinerated by an asteroid hitting Earth within a week how would you live out your last few days? Around the world billions of people would freak out. The result of extensive rioting and chaos may well be as disastrous as the actual apocalyptic forecasts event.

Humans seem hardwired into believing in and having concerns about the end of the world and accordingly make apocalyptic forecasts. This seems just as true for modern high-tech oriented humans as it was for their ancient ancestors. As the present day calendar moves closer to December 21, 2012 it is highly likely that the topic of Judgment Day 2012 will be on nearly everyone’s mind. You can safely bet that many people will party on December 21, 2012 as if there is no tomorrow. And who knows? There may not be. Apocalyptic forecasts may become an apocalyptic reality.

History.Com : Apocalyptic Forecasts: “Major Religions on the End of the World”

Does US Plan to Intervene in Syrian Civil War?

Syrian civil war looks primed to morph into a dangerous conflict that could place the Russians and the US on a collision course. With the Russians supporting Syrian president Bashar Hafez al-Assad and the US likely supplying arms and covert support to the Syrian Free Army and other dissident groups the likelihood of increased friction between the US and Russian government is high. While no analysts expect a direct confrontation between US and Russian forces the possibility of a nasty proxy Syrian Civil War war is increasing.

Syrian Civil War Ramps Up as Russians and US Support Opposing Sides

 

A delegation from Syrian opposition is reportedly in talks with US officials over the targets they want to attack to weaken the Syrian government and the arms they want America to provide to do it. A “Libya lite” operation in Syria may be imminent.

Syrian Civil War Increase Cold War Tensions Between Russia and US

The unnamed US official reportedly said that “the intervention will happen. It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’.”

The delegation from the Syrian Free Army is meeting with US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and the State Department’s expert on Syria, Fred Hof, according to a report by debkafile, an Israeli news website, which is considered to have strong ties with the intelligence community.

Bashar Hafez al-Assad

The Syrian rebels have brought with them two lists for American approval. One is that of targets in Syria they want to attack to hurt President Assad’s government. The second is a list of heavy weapons they need to carry out the attacks, which they want to get from the US, the report says. The Syrian Civil War appears to be entering a more violent phase.

Syrian Civil War Drawing in Obama Administration

Debkafile says the Obama administration is very close to given the green light to shipping off the weapons, most of which have already been purchased by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Earlier top US military brass told American media that the Pentagon has finalized contingency plans for a possible operation in Syria. This follows the UN observers pulling out of Syria due to the renewed violence in the country. The mission head said neither side of the conflict was willing to observe the ceasefire any longer, which put the UN personnel at risk. The Syrian Civil War is extremely dangerous as it could potentially spread throughout the Mideast.

Syrian Civil War Escalation is Imminent

Some reports suggest that the break in the warfare helped the Syrian opposition purchase new and better weapons with the money received from sponsors in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

A major question is whether the Syrian Civil War will lead to US bombing and/or the enforcement of no-fly zones by American aircraft. If so, the possibility of unforeseen circumstances and consequences dramatically escalate. With tension already high between the US and Iran and with Iran and Russia firmly supporting Syrian president Bashar Hafez al-Assad the United States could find that the Syrian conflict leads to increased conflict throughout the Middle East.

Syrian Civil War Seems Destined to Renew US Russian Cold War

While the two former Cold War warriors are still taking to downplay the escalation in tension brought on by the Syrian Civil War there is little doubt that the United States and Russia are moving into a proxy war situation. The rift already extends beyond that of the US and Russia. Syria has the support of Russia, China, and Iran, while the United States has at least some support in Europe, especially with NATO nations. As evermore sophisticated weapons in her the Syrian Civil War theater of operations the potential for unforeseen consequences grows. Certainly, the widely publicized by Hillary Clinton results of a reset button initiated for Russian and US relations seems to have deteriorated to the point of outright hostility between the two nations.

Syrian Civil War Tensions will Soar if US Attempts “Libya lite” Type Operations

There is some talk in the Obama ministration of attempting to carry out “Libya lite” type operations in the Syrian Civil War.These operations would likely involve a reluctant NATO. Direct air attacks against the Bashar Hafez al-Assad government could be very risky. For one thing it is believed that Russia has supplied Syria with sophisticated. air defense weapons and air attacks would likely result in the loss of American and NATO aircraft. Rather than a Libya lite operation allied airstrikes against Syria could lead to two powerful blocs of nations dangerously escalating their involvement in the conflict.

The Syrian Civil War has the potential to dangerously further complicate an already complicated,explosive Middle East situation.

More Articles: Syrian Civil War: Not ‘if’ but ‘when’: US intervention in Syria on countdown

Cyber Terrorism Enters New World With Flame Computer Worm

Cyber terrorism fueled by newly developed cyber weapons is already being used as a new form of warfare. The Stuxnet virus was the first known cyber weapon and several years ago was unleashed against primarily Iran. The purpose of Stuxnet was to attack Iranian centrifuges which were being used to manufacture weapons grade uranium. Certainly the use of Stuxnet to destroy infrastructure of another nation state is an act of war and cyber terrorism. The United States and Israel were widely suspected as the developers of Stuxnet has the sophistication of the cyber weapon would require considerable resources available only to a state actor to develop.

Cyber Terrorism Confirmed as Being Used by US Government

 

Recent leaks out of the United States government pretty well confirm that the US was the developer of Stuxnet and is therefore engaged in cyber terrorism. Now a much more powerful computer worm has been discovered by Eugene Kaspersky and his researchers at world renowned Kaspersky Lab. The new computer worm has been named Flame and is believed to be powerful enough to bring down computer systems worldwide. The age of cyber terrorism has begun. Cyber terrorism is something new to fear.

Blowback Against US use of Cyber Terrorism Likely to be Severe

Apparently United States government sponsors think that they alone have the resources to develop a Flame like computer worm and unleash cyber terrorism against enemies. The fear of blowback seems to be oddly missing even though the United States economy depends upon computer networks for many of its functions. An effective crippling computer attack upon American computer-based infrastructure would be devastating.

Cyber Terrorism

The electrical distribution system could be taken down, aircraft would cease to fly, ATM machines would not work, traffic lights would become useless, elevators in apartment and office buildings would cease functioning, hospitals could not operate; in short the economy would overnight be brought to its knees.

With Cyber Terrorism Smart People are Being Extremely Stupid

It is difficult to understand how such smart people could think that they are the only smart people in the world who have the ability to develop such computer worms. Computer program development skills are extremely high in such nations as Russia, China, Iran, Romania, the Philippines, South Korea, Pakistan, India and many other nations. It is ridiculous that US developers of such programs are so arrogant that they think the United States can not be attacked by cyber terrorism.

Cyber Terrorism Enters New World With Flame Computer Worm

After his eponymously-named lab discovered Flame, “the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed,” Eugene Kaspersky believes that the evolving threat of “cyber terrorism” could spell the end of life on Earth as we know it.

Doomsday scenarios are a common occurrence in 2012, but coming from a steely-eyed realist like Eugene Kaspersky, his calls for a global effort to halt emerging cyber threats and cyber terrorism should raise alarm bells. A global Internet blackout and crippling attacks against key infrastructure are among two possible cyber-pandemics he outlined.

“It’s not cyber war, it’s cyber terrorism, and I’m afraid the game is just beginning. Very soon, many countries around the world will know it beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Kaspersky told reporters at a Tel Aviv University cyber security conference. “I’m afraid it will be the end of the world as we know it,” he warned. “I’m scared, believe me.”

His stark warning came soon after researchers at Kaspersky Lab unearthed Flame, possibly the most complex cyber threat ever. While the espionage toolkit infected systems across the Middle East, Iran appears to have been its primary target.

Flame is Complex Tool of Cyber Terrorism

Flame seems to be a continuation of Stuxnet, the revolutionary infrastructure-sabotaging computer worm that made mincemeat of Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz in 2009-2010.

As Flame is capable of recording audio via a microphone, taking screen shots, turning Bluetooth-enabled computers into beacons to download names and phone numbers from other Bluetooth enabled devices, Kaspersky is certain that a nation-station is behind the cyber espionage virus.

While Kaspersky says that the United States, Britain, India, Israel, China and Russia are among the countries capable of developing such software, which he estimates cost $100 million to develop, he did not limit the threat to these states. “Even those countries that do not yet have the necessary expertise [to create a virus like Flame] can employ engineers or kidnap them, or turn to hackers for help.”

The US is ill prepared to ward off aggressive acts of cyber terrorism.

Like Stuxnet, Flame attacks Windows operating systems. Considering this reality, Kaspersky was emphatic: “Software that manages industrial systems or transportation or power grids or air traffic must be based on secure operating systems. Forget about Microsoft, Linux or Unix.”

Kaspersky believes the evolution from cyber war to cyber terrorism comes from the indiscriminate nature of cyber weapons. Very much like a modern-day Pandora’s Box, Flame and other forms of malware cannot be controlled upon release. Faced with a replicating threat that knows no national boundaries, cyber weapons can take down infrastructure around the world, hurting scores of innocent victims along the way.

Kaspersky believes that it necessary to view cyber weapons with the same seriousness as chemical, biological and even nuclear threats. Mutually assured destruction should exclude them from the arsenals of nation states.

The apocalyptic scenario he painted is fit for the silver screen. No surprise then, that it was a film that converted him to the idea that cyber terrorism was a clear and present danger.

By his own admission, Kaspersky watched the 2007 Film Live Free or Die Hard with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other shouting: “Why are you telling them [how to do this]?” The film’s plot revolves around an NYPD detective played by Bruce Willis, fighting a gang of cyber terrorists who are targeting FBI computer systems.

“Before Die Hard 4.0, the word cyber terrorism was a taboo in my company. It could not be uttered aloud or discussed with the media. I tried to keep the Pandora’s Box closed. When the film hit the screens, I canceled that ban,” Kaspersky admitted. See cyber terrorism and Flame Malware as described by Wikipedia.

Read More About: Cyber Terrorism: ‘End of the world as we know it’: Kaspersky warns of cyber-terror apocalypse