Talk of a “Cyber 9/11” has been circulating for years. With the next presidential election twelve months away now, some folks are predicting that a major cyber event will happen before then, throwing a monkey wrench into the 2024 election process.
What the heck is Cyber 9/11?
What does Cyber 9/11 mean? Is there a real risk? What should we be preparing for?
There are two aspects to the Cyber 9/11 concept. The first is the disaster itself; 9/11 was a catastrophe that ended the lives of over 3000 people in one day. There are fears that if power grids were hacked or enough damage was done to logistical centers, the ensuing chaos would cause deaths.
Quite memorably, back in 2000, a disgruntled public works employee in Australia hacked into the water treatment system and caused raw sewage to pour into public areas, flooding a Hyatt hotel. One man acting alone caused a disgusting, expensive mess. Of course security experts are concerned with what a team of angry individuals could do.
The second aspect to a potential Cyber 9/11 is the change in the regulatory landscape that occurred after 9/11 in 2001. I remember flying as a teenager in the 90s. So many things changed later. The airport changes were most obvious to regular citizens, but the passage of the Patriot Act in October 2001 was far more consequential. It dramatically changed the way surveillance was conducted.
Under the Fourth Amendment, private citizens are supposed to be protected from warrantless search and seizures. The Patriot Act really weakened that. Law enforcement is now allowed to delay the notice of search warrants. They don’t need nearly as much oversight from judges to conduct phone and internet surveillance.
These Constitution-weakening changes occurred after 9/11 in 2001.
Hellbound and Down 