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Coats: U.S. Lacks Capability to Prevent “Cyber 9/11”

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Posted: July 21st, 2017

Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence, told the Aspen Security Forum today that he believes the U.S. national security community lacks the capability to prevent a “cyber-9/11”—meaning a collapse of critical infrastructure caused by malware unleashed by a state or transnational organized crime group.

“Imagine a shutdown of the electric grid in New England in February,” Coats said,  “when the temperatures might be minus three or minus 10. and the inability to start that back up in just a few hours, and the chaos that would occur, and the deaths that would occur and the devastation that would occur, just on that act. My own personal opinion is, I think we’re all behind the curve” to head off such an attack.

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Categorized as:North America Reporting Tech/CyberTagged with:

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