http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/techbit_malaysia_cyberterrorism/2008/05/21/97911.html
Experts Warn of Cyberterrorism Threat
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Officials from around the world agree they
must cooperate better to fight the threat of cyberterrorism at
facilities such as nuclear power plants.
Government authorities and technology experts from more than 30
nations called for improved coordination at the meeting's opening in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday.
"The harsh reality is that (information technology) has become a tool
for cybercrime and cyberterrorism," Hamadoun Toure, secretary general
of the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N.'s leading
information technology agency, said in a speech. "Cybersecurity must
become a cornerstone of every aspect of keeping ourselves, our
countries and our world safe."
Delegates came from countries including Australia, Canada, France,
India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singa****e, Sweden, Thailand and
the United States.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said cyberattacks could
trigger "truly catastrophic consequences" by disrupting
telecommunications networks, emergency services, nuclear power plants
or major dams.
Malaysia will be home to a cyberthreat center to open by the end of
the year and be run by the International Multilateral Partner****p
Against Cyber Terrorism, a project involving both the public and
private sectors. The center is to offer emergency response, training
and other resources.
"The bottom line is the threat is real," said Howard Schmidt, a former
U.S. adviser to the White House on cybersecurity. "It'll be from
criminals, it'll be from state-sponsored activity, it'll be from
organized crime, so the idea of this is to reduce the vulnerability."
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