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During the past couple of months, we have been hearing about how cyberspies from Russia, China and other nations have infiltrated the electrical grid within the United States and have installed various types of malware that could prove detrimental to the internet service and government security.

I do not doubt that this has happened, but I question the timing of making this news public.

According to the Wall Street Journal, these cyberspies have not used their access to damage the electrical grid, but Federal officials are concerned that these international cyberspies could use their access to try to shut down the grid or take control of power plants during a time of crisis or war.

The possibility of a cyber-attack crossed my mind a few years back when the northern United States experienced a major blackout that spread over a dozen northern states.  Deep down inside I think there might be a cover up going on, but that is just my opinion.

The government has known about this infiltration for years and up until now has done nothing, or so they say.  So I ask again, why are these concerns suddenly being made public?  And what is behind it?

“In 2007, for example, a simulated attack done by the Idaho National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security showed that a known software vulnerability in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, or SCADA, system could be used to destroy power grid equipment.

There also have been previous disclosures of actual hacking incidents involving electrical grids, both in the U.S. and abroad. Early last year, the CIA said that cybercriminals had been able to launch online attacks that disrupted power equipment in several regions outside of the U.S.

And at a congressional hearing in March, Joseph Weiss, managing partner of Applied Control Solutions, claimed that networks controlling industrial control systems in the U.S. have been breached more than 125 times in the past decade, with one incident resulting in deaths.

A coordinated attack on critical infrastructure systems “could be devastating to the U.S. economy and security,” Weiss said at the hearing. “We’re talking months to recover. We’re not talking days.”

Other security experts have raised concerns that the electrical grid could become more vulnerable as it is transitioned into a two-way smart grid, potentially using the Internet for transmission. The federal government included $4.5 billion for smart-grid deployment as part of the economic stimulus package approved earlier this year.”

COMPUTER WORLD

How far is the Obama administration willing to go when it comes to securing the internet?  The Obama administration has made no secret about the fact that they want to move control over the internet and cybersecurity from Homeland Security into the Executive Branch. 

Although I am somewhat concerned about international cyberspies, I am more concerned about government having control over the internet.

Since the president is about censorship and suppression, I have no doubt that Barack Obama and company is setting up a scenario to commandeer and limit freedom of the internet to millions of Americans? 

“But protecting the electrical grid and other infrastructure is a key part of the Obama administration’s cybersecurity review, which is to be completed next week. Under the Bush administration, Congress approved $17 billion in secret funds to protect government networks, according to people familiar with the budget. The Obama administration is weighing whether to expand the program to address vulnerabilities in private computer networks, which would cost billions of dollars more. A senior Pentagon official said Tuesday the Pentagon has spent $100 million in the past six months repairing cyber damage.

Last week, Senate Democrats introduced a proposal that would require all critical infrastructure companies to meet new cybersecurity standards and grant the president emergency powers over control of the grid systems and other infrastructure.”

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies

We would do well to ask ourselves before this goes any further, “how much of this is about taking away our freedom of speech and expression?”

After all, Barack Obama does not like opposition, nor is he one to tolerate any other voice than his own.  If we have learned anything about Barack Obama it is his willingness to suppress, destroy, shut down, control and censor. 

Last year computers belonging PUMAs and other NoObamas were constantly attacked, hacked, thrown out of chat rooms, shut down, etc. It happened enough that we got the message.  We got it loud and clear.  The minute certain “code words” were put into blogs, comments, emails, search engines our computers just about blew up in our faces.Imagine how far anyone would get on the internet if cybersecurity was in the Executive Branch, and then ask yourself: what is really behind all of the concern about cybersecurity and how much is about censorship/suppression and BIG BROTHER.