Lights out a cyberattack : a nation unprepared : surviving the aftermath
Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. Tens of millions of people over several states are affected. For those without access to a generator, there is no running water, no sewage, no refrigeration or light. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Devices we rely on have gone dark....
| Main Author: | Koppel, Ted, 1940 February 8- (Author) |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Crown Publishers,
[2015]
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. Tens of millions of people over several states are affected. For those without access to a generator, there is no running water, no sewage, no refrigeration or light. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Devices we rely on have gone dark. Banks no longer function, looting is widespread, and law and order are being tested as never before. It isn't just a scenario. A well-designed attack on just one of the nation's three electric power grids could cripple much of our infrastructure--and in the age of cyberwarfare, a laptop has become the only necessary weapon. Several nations hostile to the United States could launch such an assault at any time. In fact, as a former chief scientist of the NSA reveals, China and Russia have already penetrated the grid. And a cybersecurity advisor to President Obama believes that independent actors--from "hacktivists" to terrorists--have the capability as well. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when. And yet, as Koppel makes clear, the federal government, while well prepared for natural disasters, has no plan for the aftermath of an attack on the power grid. In the absence of a government plan, some individuals and communities have taken matters into their own hands. But how, Koppel asks, will ordinary civilians survive? One of our most renowned journalists examines a threat unique to our time and evaluates potential ways to prepare for a catastrophe that is all but inevitable.--Adapted from book jacket. |
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| Physical Description: |
viii, 279 pages ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: |
9780553419962 (hardcover) 055341996X (hardcover) |
| Author Notes: |
Originally a newscaster for WABC radio, he switched to television reporting while covering the Vietnam War. He is best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005. In June 2006, he began work on National Public Radio providing commentary to Morning Edition, All Things Considered. He has won numerous awards including 37 Emmy Awards, six George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 duPont-Columbia Awards, nine Overseas Press Club Awards, two George Polk Awards and two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists. He wrote several books including Nightline: History in the Making and the Making of Television and Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public. (Bowker Author Biography) |