September's EBMA meeting was held at the Groton Motor Inn and Suites on Wednesday September 15, 2010.  Former FBI Special Agent, Jim Hight, was the evening’s guest speaker.  Mr. Hight projected bulleted information onto a screen at the front of the room as he focused on the dangers of cyber terrorism.  He offered members advice on how to safeguard their personal information.  He concluded his remarks with an overview of recent computer attacks and took questions from the audience. 

    But before that, EBMA President, Joe Rossi called the meeting to order saying he hoped members had had an enjoyable summer.  He briefly reviewed the EBMA’s summer events: the Dodd Stadium outing, Lake Compounce and the annual golf tournament.  And previewed upcoming events; the November Corporate Night dinner meeting, the kids and adults’ Halloween parties, and a mini-program called “Discover Your Strengths” scheduled for October 14^th.  He then recognized several audience members for their volunteer service: Chris Dixon and Dawn Barrasso for the golf tournament; Anthony Kargul and Rich Clippinger for working on the web page, Mike Tsao, ace photographer and Jim Costello, minute taker.  He also thanked retiree Tom Bogue for hosting tonight’s event and recognized Tom’s wife Judy (D615) for her ongoing event planning efforts.  Dawn Barrasso (D412) then led the Pledge and Carrie Pfieffer (D455) recited the prayer. 

     After dinner, Joe Rossi introduced the guest speaker by quoting at length from Jim Hight’s lengthy biography.  He pointed to Hight’s long law enforcement career as an indicator of the speaker’s expertise in the cyber-terror prevention.  Members greeted the former FBI case officer with polite applause.  

    Jim Hight thanked Joe for his kind introduction and began by congratulating the audience for their efforts to secure the nation’s defense.  A self-professed history buff, Hight recapped EB’s contributions to the US Navy throughout the years, characterizing that effort as “remarkable”.  He asked members to give themselves a round of applause.  He then began his formal presentation by projecting the FBI’s “Official” definition of cyber terrorism: “Premeditated, politically motivated attacks against information computer systems, computer programs and data which results in violence against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents.”  The FBI intentionally left out “Nation-state actors,” he said, because their participation in computer mischief would constitute an overt act of war. 

     Cyber terrorism, he explained, is increasingly an adjunct to other acts of terror: urban bombs timed sequentially, secondary explosions aimed at first responders and attempts to disrupt infrastructure such as municipal traffic systems and water supplies.  These efforts are characterized by geographically diverse targets, and increased sophistication and complexity.  Their goal, he said somberly, is to kill or disrupt the lives of everyone in this room.  It’s a complex world, he said, nothing is as simple as it used to be.  “We have to prepare ourselves to react and defend against the once unthinkable.”  Who could have foreseen the events of September 11^th, on September 9th, he asked.  No one, he said, took sufficient notice of a handful of young foreign men studying in flight school…  not even law enforcement professionals.

     My father used to tell me, he said, that there’s only one true rule in a fight.  “And that’s that there are no rules.”  Terrorists are chiefly interested in using computers to increase the destructive outcomes of their actions, he said before pausing for “five seconds of silence.”  During that pause, he said, 15,000 searches were performed on Google; 20,000 Emails were sent, 3,000 Tweets and 2500 electronic postings were made.  The networks that make those transactions possible, he said, enable the activities that make all of our lives easier.  But that “total reliance,” he said, also makes us vulnerable to attack.  Cyber attacks are cheaper than conventional attacks. They can be carried out from a safe distance.  They are difficult to trace and perpetrators have a large number of targets available.  Attackers don’t have to be well-educated, he said, many are self-taught with no special skills and learn their craft by trial and error. 

     Does that mean this is something to worry about, he asked.  “I would say yes.”  The FBI, he said, is so concerned about the threat that none of their work computers are INTERNET connected.  Al Qaida’s threat on-line is about as potent as its physical presence, he said.  It’s truly an international menace.  In Nepal, a cyber-terror attack disrupted phone service for nearly three years, he said.  Attackers in Lima it deactivated traffic control resulting in three days of gridlock.  In Florida a 15 year old hacker disrupted 9-11 calls in 11 counties.  In Ohio a nuclear power plant’s safety monitoring system was disabled for 6 hours.  Some of the probing for weakness is state sponsored.  China, he said, has 180,000 cyber spies on their payroll hard at work testing US defenses.  Denial of service attacks are also increasing in the US including those promulgated by viruses and Trojan horses. 

     A number of these attacks are potentially disruptive, costly and even life threatening, he said.  Fire suppression systems, gas and oil pipeline networks, water systems and public buildings are all likely targets.  Terrorists have to be right only 1% of the time, he said, law enforcement has to be right 100% of the time.  As computer systems get larger and more complex, attacks get more difficult to recognize.  But a cyber attack could be a precursor to a physical attack.  What can the average person do?  Stay vigilant, he advised.  “Awareness is the key.” Don’t forget that attacks can happen at any time.  Report any unusual or suspect occurrences to network authorities, despite the reactions you may encounter.  Keep your personal virus protection updated.  Protect lap tops from theft or compromise.  Don’t print or post passwords in your work areas.  Don’t open strange attachments or download games and screen savers.  Maintain complete records.    

     One thing is certain, he said, there will be more cyber terror events in the future.  It’s coming; it’s the nature of the beast.  The cyber terrorists are out there, he said, probing for weaknesses “24/7.”  He quoted Edmund Burke: “The only necessity for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing.”   Be aware, he concluded, and if you see something suspicious, tell someone.  On the screen flashed the hotline number for the National Infrastructure Protection Plan Resource Center  -  (202) 324 2084.

      He then fielded several questions from the audience and was given a heartfelt round of applause.  Joe Rossi thanked him for raising members’ awareness of the issue.  A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the members left the GMI a little more aware of the potential dangers lurking just behind their flickering computer screens.