A Quiet Time Bomb: U.S. Supercomputer Grid

By Lewis Z. Koch
RAW STORY COLUMNIST

If anyone required needed solid evidence that there has been no increase in our ability to secure vital elements of our nation with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security or by the cosmetic revamps of the FBI headquarters hierarchy, one only need look at the recent hacking of this nation’s powerful supercomputers at colleges, universities and research institutions across the country.

America’s precious and powerful supercomputers are bound together by the “Grid/TeraGrid” which has now been proven to be extraordinarily vulnerable to intrusion. The recent hack of the Grid was most likely accomplished by a small group of young U.S. hackers.

What we — the public — do not know is if the hackers were able to access information pertaining to national security — the “crown jewels,” so to speak.

What we do know is that one member of the Grid is Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago which supports upwards of 200 research projects, ranging from studies of the atomic nucleus to global climate change research. But classified, secret projects are also being undertaken at Argonne. The question now becomes — was any information dealing with national security projects obtained by the hackers.

The designated spokesperson for the TeraGrid, Peter Beckman, refuses to respond to inquiries.

In all likelihood, the silence comes from an unreasoned, reflexive insistence by those ultimately responsible for securing computer infrastructure, the Department of Homeland Security and agents of the FBI. They have silenced computer scientists and quasi-governmental agencies like the National Science Foundation from discussing the intrusion.

Scientists, who are supposed to thrive on a full, open and free exchange of information, have been prevented (have allowed themselves to be prevented) from discussing the dangers inherent in their very crackable computers. In doing so, they are engaging in a cover-up of the problem and allowing it to happen again. Once hacked, a prized target will be hit again, as night follows day.

A really interesting, detailed piece -- Full story at The Raw Story: http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/koch/vulnerable_computer_grid.htm

...to listen to him about the terrorist threats back before 9-11. After 9-11 he made an assessment of the internet and that's when BushCo decided he was no longer relevant. There was a program on Discovery Channel (I think or perhaps National Public TV) last Thursday that went into this in detail. Wish I had a link, but sorry I don't.

It was on PBS and I would urge everyone to watch it. Scary stuff.

I guess it would help if I gave a link.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/

Can you imagine the incalucable damage this can do to this country. Hell, the world itself.

Terrifying.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/

"In the past, you would count the number of bombers and the number of tanks your enemy had. In the case of cyber war, you really can't tell whether the enemy has good weapons until the enemy uses them," says Richard Clarke, former chairman of the White House Critical Infrastructure Protection Board.

In "Cyber War!" Clarke and other insiders talk about a new set of warriors fighting on the new battlefield of cyberspace, and they evaluate just how vulnerable the Internet may be to both virtual and physical attack.

There's a lot more deep dirt on this. Koch has had some conversations with the director of cybersecurity for homeland security...his job is itself in jeopardy because he was a hacker himself...But isn't that the kind of person we _want_ on the job? Who knows what the hacker deal is?