Infrastructure protectionHow Will We Protect American Infrastructure from Cyberattacks
As the Colonial Pipeline hack and subsequent shutdown reminded us so recently, our infrastructure’s digital connectedness — while bringing benefits like convenience, better monitoring and remote problem-solving — leaves it vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Infrastructure — it’s one of those words we think we understand, but it can be a hard concept to wrap our brains around. We may vaguely imagine electrical grids or railroads, but infrastructure also includes many other services that are essential for keeping our homes, schools and businesses thriving. It includes roads and transportation, telecommunications networks, water and sewage systems, and electricity. And today, much of it is connected to the internet.
“We’re all connected so deeply through the internet in so many different ways, whether we realize it or not,” said Jamie Winterton, director of strategy for Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative. “Having your credit card number stolen by an online thief would obviously be a terrible thing. But if the water to your home became unsafe because it was tampered with, or if the power was out and it’s summer in Arizona, or it’s winter in the Northeast, this is where that coupling of the internet to our lives becomes very direct, affecting not just our quality of life, but our life source.”
As the Colonial Pipeline hack and subsequent shutdown reminded us so recently, our infrastructure’s digital connectedness — while bringing benefits like convenience, better monitoring and remote problem-solving — leaves it vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Infrastructure — it’s one of those words we think we understand, but it can be a hard concept to wrap our brains around. We may vaguely imagine electrical grids or railroads, but infrastructure also includes many other services that are essential for keeping our homes, schools and businesses thriving. It includes roads and transportation, telecommunications networks, water and sewage systems, and electricity. And today, much of it is connected to the internet.
“We’re all connected so deeply through the internet in so many different ways, whether we realize it or not,” said Jamie Winterton, director of strategy for Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative. “Having your credit card number stolen by an online thief would obviously be a terrible thing. But if the water to your home became unsafe because it was tampered with, or if the power was out and it’s summer in Arizona, or it’s winter in the Northeast, this is where that coupling of the internet to our lives becomes very direct, affecting not just our quality of life, but our life source.”
