Hackers Could Crash The Internet, Power Grid?

from the say-what-now? dept

It was just last week that we were complaining about journalists overhyping the threats to the internet, and now this story comes along with an incredily FUD-filled lead that is never actually backed up in the article. The article starts out by saying that hackers could shut down the internet and our electric power grid if they wanted to, based on some theories of how networks work. The idea that certain nodes on a network are more important than others is nothing new - but that doesn't explain how the internet gets shut down or (even more unlikely) how a "hacker" would shut down a power grid. The research itself, does seem to suggest some useful things about how certain nodes should be even more carefully protected from such attacks, so I have nothing against the research itself. I'm just taking issue with the reporter for making it sound like a bunch of script kiddies are going to turn off all the lights.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread



Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.