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Cyber security expert Morgan Wright and former NSA Deputy Director Col. Cedric Leighton, (Ret.), on the threat to the U.S. from cyber attacks.
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So moving on to -- your money -- US intelligence leaders are saying that cyber attacks and our nation's number one security threat.
Even more than terrorism and al-Qaeda today -- president met with CEOs of some of the biggest companies to discuss the critical implications.
But here's the thing.
All the recent attacks on banks and web sites have seem more like inconveniences that anything out supposedly.
No one's bank accounts were compromised.
And we've never seen anything like a dire warnings and you know water treatment facilities -- the like being attacked.
Despite warnings for years so why is cyber security -- biggest concern right now that's -- I'm wondering.
Joining me now is -- right cyber security expert and return all retired colonel -- -- -- cyber security risk analyst gentlemen.
Welcome back to the show thanks for coming on -- let me start with you know.
Sure you know this is supposed to be the biggest threat out there but as a regular person.
Remember seeing evidence of it so it's hard for me to get scared.
Yeah.
And you know I've talked about this before the government has an interest -- spreading a certain amount of fear uncertainty and out to get policies through to get you know people to take action.
-- and James clapper came out and talked about this my concern is not what he knows what he's told us is what we don't know because.
The actual threats.
And the actual capabilities the scope -- damage at these threats always lag.
The indicators and warnings that we get so there may be something on the rise here.
But you know that the real reason the biggest it's because the number of factors.
The access to technology the Internet as ubiquitous rather than -- in Russia or China where you have a defined army had defined enemy.
And you can see those things you've got anonymous you've got.
The Al -- force we talked about before.
You've got all these people -- -- China you know now and all their cyber espionage -- units out there are so.
But the threat proliferating -- gets smaller.
-- -- I -- do you believe that this is the biggest threat right now bigger than al-Qaeda.
Actually I do and the reason I believe that it Melissa is that it is one of the most ubiquitous things that we deal with right now what we're dealing with is.
A speed divisive and a series of networks.
That are hooked up to everybody -- single person the United States has some interface with the Internet.
And because of that it becomes really important for us to secure that network -- series of networks and that is why.
Because it touches everybody everybody needs to know that there are threats out there and they also need to know how to behave to counter those threats.
But according.
I just like this ever touches -- and this is always a problem that I have we're talking about cyber security -- for years we have been talking about the potential.
You know for terrorist either get -- electric grid and shut down huge cities to turn off the subway to contaminate water supply.
You never hear about anything like that happening.
They're attacking banks yet I had velocity money mean the worst thing that happens is you can't get online and check your balance for -- short period of time.
It just don't see them you know like 88 -- terrifying to the average person.
Well and you don't quite and that's that's -- that that's the 50000 foot view you know -- -- from the air force would understand this analogy that's like bombing for 50000 C.
A lot of people don't see the actual impact but it then you talked to a construction company California.
That in December go visit -- online a great security -- they lost 900000 dollars because somebody compromise they're sensitive information and took 900000 dollars out of their account.
So it is an -- you won't see on the -- -- -- attacks because denial service attacks are just designed.
To just prevent access but colonel -- actually pointed out something there are more device is connected to the Internet than there are people on the face of the earth right now I'm with the new.
-- -- scheme for the Internet could you have to have an address to be on the Internet and you now have we have tend to order magnitudes of even more devices -- that means more things to compromise.
More people's personal information being out there are so I don't wanna wait until the mushroom cloud of cyber you know terrorism heading out to wanna do is get ahead of this and put the policies procedures and -- okay.
Got your people in place.
-- are we doing that I mean you see CEOs going to the White House today to talk to the president -- in this country are we ahead of the curve are we behind.
We're behind right now Melissa and -- Morgan points out some really good fit you're good points -- -- some great points.
When it comes to the types of things that we need to do to prepare ourselves.
We don't have laws in place to protect us we don't have laws that will protect the infrastructure.
And that I think is what the president is trying to work with the CEOs on because.
It becomes very -- -- -- -- not a lot would protect us here what what what law would make a difference.
Well I think the big big thing is that you have to have no minimum cyber security standards and -- the US chamber of commerce has a different view on this but the basic idea is this.
Is that you have some minimum standards that evolved as technology -- -- the something that the government hasn't really done yet but they need to get into the business of developing standards.
That changed with the times to change with technology and that can be enforced.
You don't want to have onerous burdens on business but what you want to do you want to protect everybody from the possible threats that are out there and in essence what we're doing is we're protecting.
The utility that we have that is known as the Internet.
Gentlemen thanks for coming not.
-- my pleasure volatile thanks again.
