Cyberattack on U.S. Infrastructure

A highly disruptive cyberattack on U.S. critical infrastructure

In March 2013, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper identified cyber attacks as the greatest threat to U.S. national security. Critical infrastructure—the physical and virtual assets, systems, and networks vital to national and economic security, health, and safety—is vulnerable to cyber attacks by foreign governments, criminal entities, and lone actors. Due to the increasingly sophisticated, frequent, and disruptive nature of cyber attacks, such an attack on critical infrastructure could be significantly disruptive or potentially devastating. Policymakers and cyber security experts contend that energy is the most vulnerable industry; a large-scale attack could temporarily halt the supply of water, electricity, and gas, hinder transportation and communication, and cripple financial institutions.

The rising prevalence of cyber attacks was detailed in a 2013 report by the U.S. security firm Mandiant that linked the Chinese military to 140 cyber attacks against U.S. and foreign corporations. The same year, major U.S. banks called on policymakers for assistance after experiencing cyber attacks emanating from Iran. The Obama administration has emphasized the importance of cyber security—its fiscal year 2014 budget requested a 20 percent increase in funding. The United States has strengthened its offensive strategies by developing rules of engagement for cyber warfare and cyber weapons capabilities. However, cyberspace policy making remains decentralized with authority shared among the White House and five executive departments, resulting in gaps in U.S. cyber policy that leave vulnerabilities unaddressed.

http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/?marker=2