On August 14th 2003, 50 million people in the Northeast and Midwest of the US and in Canada were instantly cut off from electricity.
Power lines and water systems failed, and thousands of people were trapped in elevators and subways. It was the largest blackout in North American history, causing $6 billion in damages.
This massive power failure was never satisfactorily explained to jittery New Yorkers, who had just lived through 9/11 only two years before.
What has remained largely un-reported in this story is that this long-lasting blackout may very well have been caused by a computer virus, which had just been released into the Internet three days earlier.
On August 11th, someone somewhere released one of the most damaging computer viruses ever written: Blaster.
It was probably the biggest attack against the Internet, ever.
Enter the world of hackers and cyber sleuths.
‘Web Warriors’ offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world’s newest and most vulnerable frontier: cyberspace.
We enter the world of hackers like Mafia Boy – a 15 year old high school student who rose to infamy in 2000 by causing millions of dollars in damage after single-handedly shutting down Internet giants – including Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, Dell, eTrade and CNN. We’ll meet hackers like Donnie who goes on a journey into the Russian cyber underground as he searches for the creators of a computer virus with the hopes of collecting the $250,000 bounty being offered by Microsoft.
Just as in nature, computer viruses have rapidly evolved and now have the ability to control millions of computers, unbeknownst to their owners, thereby creating massive illegal computer
networks known as “Botnets”.
These “Botnets” are being put to a variety of illicit uses including identity theft and cyber extortion, but they are also the latest and most potent weapon being deployed in military conflicts.
Web Warriors dissects the massive cyber attack against Estonia in 2007, which virtually shut down the country and resulted in NATO deploying its cyber response team.
Web Warriors offers rare interviews with cyber sleuths from the FBI, the Pentagon, NATO, and the Department of Homeland Security, who explain how cyberspace has become the latest battle ground between nation-states and how terrorist groups are already plotting their next move.
Web Warriors offers a fast-paced never-before seen glimpse into the cyber trenches of a worldwide battle. Some reports say the cost of cyber crime is now on par with the illegal drug trade.
Web Warriors was produced by Edward Peill for Tell Tale Productions Inc.
Add comment