Who's finger is on the button?

Many believe that the next 'Pearl Harbor' is going to be a cyber attack.

One of the UK's leading experts even believes that hackers pose a greater threat to world security than atomic weapons.

Dr Sally Leivesley, a former UK Home Office scientific adviser, said rogue states such as North Korea are already developing technology that can infiltrate defence systems and shut down power grids.  Her warning follows the huge data hack on TalkTalk that recently hit four million customers who face having their bank accounts drained and personal details stolen.

Russian “cyberjihadists” have claimed responsibility for the attack although the true perpetrators remain unknown.  There is a suspicion that the Russian government sponsored the attack on telecoms giant TalkTalk and that the stolen data has been passed on for espionage use.

Of course, this has also happened to large banks (like Chase), large department stores (like Target) and even international corporations, such as Sony.

Dr Leivesley wants to see a team of international observers set up to monitor cyber technology in the same way they monitor nuclear armaments.  She says states that repeatedly allow their hardware, like routers or servers, to be used by hackers or cyber terrorists should also face sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

Dr Leivesley told the Sunday Express: “Cyber is now the new nuclear. In international security, cyber is a highly deniable way to attack countries and it’s much less messy than a nuclear attack.

“If we look at critical infrastructure, whether it be our electrical grid or petro-chemical facilities, anything that can cause huge damage or huge loss of productivity becomes a weapon.  Yet we are doing nothing that stops strategic cyber weapons. While we’ve got nuclear non-proliferation and placed strong arrangements against nuclear development, we are doing nothing that stops strategic cyber weapons."

Of course, a catastrophic surprise attack doesn't have to happen on national level in order to destroy your life.  You can be targeted individually by foreign hackers.

This is why you must protect yourself and your business.