WBIW.com News - local

Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana

IU Prof., Cybersecurity Expert "Not Surprised" By Power Grid Attack

Last updated on Friday, April 10, 2009

(BLOOMINGTON) - Recent reports of foreign spy-hackers digging into the nation’s power grid has one law professor at IU-Bloomington troubled, just like all the power crews affected by the attack, but Professor Fred Cate says he’s not surprised.

Cate serves as both the C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law at the IU Maurer School of Law in Bloomington and also as Director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research at IU, and says the thing that surprised him most about the attack is how much policymakers in Washington and reporters in the media were surprised.

Cate says one of the problems is that most of the nation's critical infrastructure that is computer controlled is owned by private entities, and their security just isn't up to snuff.

That includes everything from communication and telephone systems, power grids, and even wireless switches on railroad lines.

Cate says Uncle Sam needs to invest in cybersecurity research, "like we mean it."

1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com

© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Click here to go back to previous page