We can't rely any longer on the comforting urban legend that the Internet is impervious to attack. The Internet is a massive collection of remotely accessible, often poorly maintained networks supported by software systems with little diversity and a history of . . .
We can't rely any longer on the comforting urban legend that the Internet is impervious to attack. The Internet is a massive collection of remotely accessible, often poorly maintained networks supported by software systems with little diversity and a history of serious security flaws.

Fragile software is one major area of risk. The January 1990 systemwide meltdown of AT&T's phone network, the August 1996 nine-state power grid failure and the April 1997 partial Internet collapse were all tremendously destructive accidents. What if these systems are skillfully targeted?

Another concern is the vulnerability of the Internet to physical attack. While the Net is resilient to individual routes dropping off, a few well-placed attacks at major peering points, at cable choke points at bridges and tunnels, or on cross-country runs beside isolated rail lines would be very damaging. A chemical fire in Baltimore's Howard Street tunnel disrupted area Internet traffic for days last July.

The link for this article located at eWeek is no longer available.