Cyber Warfare

The threat of Cyber Warfare on our economy is very real and could potentially cripple this country if coordinated efforts by terrorist were successful. Most hackers attempt to break into systems for financial gain. Terrorist gangs are using these same techniques to hack into government systems and seriously threaten national security. Terrorist are attempting to at least disrupt or even destroy information and communication systems that could have devastating affects on our economy.
Attacks on financial institutions are very common and usually continue without notice. This is due to the fact that many people, believe it or not do not maintain there check registry. Therefore small amounts of money could go missing without notice to a number of people in this country and all over the world. In December of 2007 a trojen horse known as the SilentBanker was a cyber weapon that was released and affected various accounts in over 400 banks world wide. This SilentBanker is a trojen horse that records keystrokes, captures screen images and steals confidential information and sends it back to the hacker. In situation such as this it is important that people receive the latest updates from there security suite provider and to stay ahead of possible attacks. From my readings they have still not identified who is responsible for this attack, it could be a possible terrorist attack and the money collected could be used for purchasing weapons or financing terrorist attacks but no one really knows. It is a clear indication of how vulnerable our systems can be when sophisticated hackers successfully break into our banking systems unnoticed.
Attacks on government systems are a major threat as well. This past July the Associated Press reported attacks on several U.S. government agencies that included the White House, Secret Service, Pentagon, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, the Treasury Department, the Federal Trade Commission, NSA, FAA, Homeland Security, State Department and the Department of Transportation. The attacks are thought to be brought on the by the controversy surrounding the expansion of the National Security Agency’s cyber security. These sites were flooded with an overwhelming amount of denial of service attacks which resulted in several websites shutting down completely including the Secret Service, Trade, Treasury and Transportation sites. It appears that this was a very well planned and initiated by highly skilled hackers. In 2007 the U.S. government had 5500 breaches of security out of 16,000 attempts of accessing government systems. Once again pointing to the fact that our information systems and specialist have to stay one step ahead of potential terrorist and cyber warfare or at least be able to respond quickly in the event that an attack is successful.
According to McAfee Inc., cyber spying is the biggest threat to our economy. Espionage operations over the internet are becoming a major issue for all countries. It is found that many of these threats are originating in China which threatens targets such as electricity grids, air traffic control, financial markets and government agencies. These attacks are well funded and organized by terrorist groups and the U.S. and other nations must continue to stay ahead of this ongoing threat.

Internet affects the 2010 election

The internet plays a huge role in the campaign elections from presidential to local. You Tube, Myspace, Facebook, just to name a few have had a huge impact on elections. They allow people to view and access there candidates 24 hours a day 7 days a week and can be played and viewed repeatedly. This gives candidates plenty of exposure to the public and generates new funds and support quickly rather than through traditional means such as going door to door, or by telephone.

The internet will affect the 2010 Senate election in many ways. Due to the negative attention that the Democratic party is receiving through huge spending in upwards of $750 billion in the economic recovery package and the health care reform program that President Barack Obama is trying to pass the Democrats could potentially loose there Senate seat to a Republican. Although with Massachusetts being a democratic state that could be highly unlikely. The internet allows people to voice there opinions and debate through blog posts and live chats. Through the internet I found that our Chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Martin Meehan could potentially run for the Senate seat, which I did not know until I researched this topic.

In the upcoming senate election people can view information on the web easily and quickly. Most candidates have a Myspace or a Facebook and can market themselves to the public easily by sharing there views, what they stand for and what they intend to accomplish for the public. When the late Senator Edward Kennedy passed I found that most people did not realize the extent of his accomplishment and what he did for the American people. How he was responsible for writing 2500 bills throughout his career and that several hundred of them became public law which had a profound impact on the quality of life for many Americans.

Many people who work more than one job or have busy lives will get most of there news from the internet. I am one of those people that between work and school I don’t have much time to sit down and watch TV. I always check up on what is going on in the world from the internet. The Rasmussen Report which is a firm that is credited with having the most accurate public opinion polling information has Twitter and Facebook accounts. The public can sign up for free and access the latest polling information on who the public best sees fit to fill the late Senators seat. According to the pole State Attorney General Martha Coakley has about 38% of the vote and will likely take the senate seat.

The Rasmussen Report also states that state legislature will allow Governor Deval Patrick to temporarily fill that seat so Massachusetts will be represented in the Senate during the Health Care Reform bill that will be voted on and that 52% of Massachusetts voters are in favor of the Governor appointing a temporary official.

The internet will have positive and negative affects on the 2010 Senate election and will exploit the candidates and the voters of Massachusetts will vote for who we feel is best suited to fill this position and be the voice for our state and make a difference in our country.