Summit Could Attract Cyber Trouble

Before this month’s G-20 summit at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, utility companies are testing and revamping their protocols to ensure they could survive a potential attack to their computer systems.

In an article on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website, Mike Cronin says that according to some experts some of the region’s most critical computer systems could be a target for hackers during the summit.

Any high-profile event, especially one attended by the president of the United States and other world leaders, is bound to entice cybercriminals. “It’s a chance to make a statement,” Jose Nazario, manager of security research at Arbor Networks told Cronin. Cybersecurity analyst Beth Jones agreed that hackers “go after whatever’s happening.”

Utility giants Duquesne Light and Alcosan, as well as nuclear power plant builder Westinghouse Electric Co., are taking the necessary steps to ensure a hack attack wouldn’t cause tens of thousands of people to be without electricity or water during a disruption.

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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_641856.html