Tech

But Actually, How Scary Is Critical Infrastructure Hacking?

From nation states or black hats hacking the power grid to water filtration plants, the threats are both real and overblown.
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Some of the most fascinating hacks don't pwn a shady malware companies, expose the trade secrets of America, or embarrass the Democratic National Committee. Instead, they target water systems, nuclear power plants, and the oil and gas sector.

Critical infrastructure hacking was brought to the public's attention by former Secretary of State and CIA director Leon Panetta in a much-maligned 2012 speech where he warned of a coming “Cyber Pearl Harbor.”

On this week’s CYBER, we have Selena Larson, a former CNN reporter and cyber threat intelligence analyst at Dragos, a leading cybersecurity company that specializes in critical infrastructure security. Larson tells us what we should be realistically worried about, and if she believes Panetta’s speech has any merit in 2019.