America's Achilles' Heel—The Cloud | Tomorrow's World

America's Achilles' Heel—The Cloud

11th July 2009
J. Charles Ogwyn
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Is a secret plot is underway to destroy America and Britain? Recently, computer networks in the United States and in South Korea have come under a sustained series of attacks. Although these recent attacks have done little damage, they do highlight an increasing threat: cyber warfare. What is at stake in the frontier battleground of cyberspace? How will you be affected by future cyber attacks?

These most recent incidents are hardly an isolated occurrence, but rather represent the latest in a growing cyber security trend. "As an example, the number of incidents reported by federal agencies has increased dramatically over the past 3 years, tripling from 5,503 incidents reported in fiscal year 2006 to 16,843 incidents in fiscal year 2008" (GAO letter, June 30, 2009). To deal with this growing danger, President Barack Obama has announced that he will appoint a "cyber czar" to coordinate and oversee the nation's computer and network defenses. Will the creation of a new government position be enough to halt the advances of this ominous threat?

Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that "Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project – the Defense Department's costliest weapons program ever." (WSJ, April 29, p. A1) It is sobering that the security of this most expensive weapons program was compromised, despite the large sums of money, time, and talent devoted to it. It is as if the program was cursed from the beginning.

As troubling as these attacks are, an even greater cyber threat is drawing ever closer. This new threat stems from exploiting the weaknesses inherent in "cloud computing." Put simply, "cloud computing" moves data and programs away from storage on local computers, keeping them in the networked "cloud" where they can be updated and accessed remotely with greatly increased convenience and reduced cost. Already many companies and individuals are relying on cloud computing, and as the technology matures its benefits will certainly increase. Yet although the rewards it offers are great, so also are the dangers that can come if its security is breached.

"The Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the 9/11 attack, took down a major portion of the U.S. infrastructure at the same time. The capability and coverage of cloud-based mega-hubs would easily dwarf hundreds of Twin Tower-like operations. Although some redundancy would likely exist -- hopefully located in places safe from disasters -- should a hub be destroyed, it could likely take down a significant portion of the country it supported at the same time. Taking it one step further, a coordinated attack on several or all of the hubs could stop a country -- even one the size of the U.S. -- cold, with recovery taking years and massive infrastructure failures causing loss of life and resources at levels never seen outside of an outright world war" (Could The Cloud Lead To An Even Bigger 9/11? by Rob Enderle). Cloud computing may very well prove to be our Achilles' heel.

Unless we individually and nationally heed God's warning, we will suffer under the curse He proclaimed on His people if they "do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise my statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments" (Leviticus 26:14-15). God promised great agricultural abundance, prosperity, peace and military victory if His people would obey Him. Sadly, our peoples have decided that through technology and hard work we can achieve those things without God. What an incredible miscalculation!

To find out what lies ahead for America and Britain, and what these events will mean for you and your family, read our booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.