Re Cyber War…

In terms of the larger picture, computer systems in all of our major
universities, such as the University of Michigan, MIT, Stanford, Texas A&M,
University of Pennsylvania, University of California at Berkley, among
others are under almost daily attack by foreign sources in an attempt to
steal highly confidential research. I have a good friend who teaches at MIT
who has been working on a top secret propulsion system for nearly his
entire professional career; it was a part of his doctorial dissertation,
and he is highly recognized in his field. Last year foreign sources tried
repeatedly to hack into and steel his research. Fortunately, all they were
successful in stealing were some older papers he had published that were
not highly classified. How would you react if your life-long research was
simply stolen to be used by our enemies? 

Our major power systems in this country are under constant attack. These
power systems are computer controlled, and if they are successfully hacked
into, it is conceivable that entire regions of the United States could be
shut down, our subways, traffic signals, elevators, production facilities,
all of the homes in the region, air transportation, and the list goes on. 

If the computer control systems in our satellites are successfully hacked
into, it could bring down our entire communications systems; it could
impact our GPS controlled transportation systems, like planes, ships, and
the list goes on. 

I have a close friend who is in the hospital right now, and he is being
kept alive with various computer controlled machines. In fact, almost
everything in the entire hospital is computer controlled in one way or
another. So, if those systems were successfully hacked into, it could be
disastrous.

If our private computers are successfully hacked into, it is possible to
use them to, in turn, get into other unsuspecting systems, like businesses
some of us are associated with. I have friends, maybe even some of you, and
it includes myself, who have, seemingly, our entire lives on our computers
and smart phones and other similar devices, such as our daily schedules,
medical appointments, contact information for all of our friends and
relatives, and for some of us, it would be serious, very serious if our
devices were hacked into and the files, programs and documents were wiped
out and destroyed.  

Every single aspect of our computer controlled lives, as I delineated
above, is under attack in this cyber war. Burying our heads in the sand and
denying that it exists will only ensure that it will succeed. If you doubt
what I am telling you, just invest a little of your time and research the
topic. If you research the subject competently, you will quickly discover
that I am not just crying wolf or that the sky is falling. It is a real
threat. 

I consider this ham radio related to the extent that today nearly all of
our ham radios are computer controlled, and many of our rigs are directly
connected to and being controlled by our computers. 

Ron, K8HSY
Dr. Ronald E. Milliman

Dr. Ronald E. Milliman, retired Professor Western Kentucky University

Chair, American Council of the Blind Public Relations Committee

Chair, American Council of the Blind's Monthly Monetary Support Program
(MMS) Committee