Counterterrorism expert Cofer Black speaks at a cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday

Discussion:  The former director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, Cofer Black, stated that hackers, who may have started as pranksters, will tamper with the technology that runs real-world infrastructure.  This could ultimately impair National Security.  Black also noted that the act of hacking has moved “into physical destruction of a natural resource.”  At the conclusion of his speech, he urges security researchers in the audience to work to prevent such attacks.

Source:  CNN Tech

Date:  August 3, 2011

Link:  http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/08/03/black.hat.cofer/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Discussion Questions:

• Is the war being waged by hackers analogous to the Cold War?  Or, perhaps, is the Internet merely a tool to fight the enemy?
• Are conferences like these ultimately beneficial or harmful to the advancement of information security?