How to Prepare for a Cyber AttackBy Daisy Luther This isnt the first possible cyber attack on the United States this year. Heck, its not even the first one this summer. On June 5, Reuters reported a breach occurred that compromised the personal information of millions of federal employees, both current and former. This breach was traced back to a foreign entity or government. Regardless of the origin of the so-called computer glitches that shut down Wall Street and a major airline,the events of Wednesday gave usjust a tiny glimpse at how serious a cyber attack could be. What exactly is a cyber attack? A cyber attack is more than just shutting down the computer systems of a specified entity. It is defined as deliberate exploitation of computer systems, technology-dependent enterprises and networks. Cyberattacks use malicious code to alter computer code, logic or data, resulting in disruptive consequences that can compromise data and lead to cybercrimes, such as information and identity theft. Technopedia lists the following consequences ofa cyber attack: Cyber attacks happen far more frequently than you might think. Check out this real-time map for a look at the almost constant siege. How does a cyber attack affect you? You may think that if you dont spend your day working online, that an attack on our computer infrastructure isnt that big of a deal. You may feel like it wouldnt affect you at all. Unfortunately, there are very few people in the country that would remain completely unaffected in the event of a major cyber attack. Our economy, our utility grids, and our transportation systems are all heavily reliant upon computers. This makes us very vulnerable to such an attack. And by vulnerable, I mean that if it was done on a big enough scale, it could essentially paralyze the entire country. Here are some of the systems that are reliant on computers. In the event of a widespread cyber attack, the following could be either completely inoperable or breached: Heres a video from NATO that explains a little bit more about the dangers of cyber attacks. Prepping to survive a cyber attack Prepping for a cyber attack is not that different from prepping for other types of disasters that affect the grid. You want to be able to operate independently of public utilities, stores, or public transportation. Click each item to learn more details. What do you think? So, lets hear from the hive mind of the preparedness community. How likely do you think it is that well be hit by a massive cyber attack? Was the event on Wednesday just a coincidence or some kind of test run? What other effects do you think a massive cyber attack might have? Do you have any additional preparedness tips for such an event? Share your thoughtsin the comments section below. Daisy Luther lives in a small village in the Pacific Northwestern area of the United States. She is the author ofThe Organic Canner,The Pantry Primer: A Preppers Guide to Whole Food on a Half-Price Budget, and the soon-to-be-released The Preppers Water Survival Guide: Harvest, Treat, and Store Your Most Vital Resource.On her website, The Organic Prepper, where this article first appeared, Daisy uses her background in alternative journalism to provide aunique perspective on health and preparedness, and offers a path of rational anarchy against a system that will leave us broke, unhealthy, and enslaved if we comply. Daisys articles are widely republished throughout alternative media.You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter,. outdated electric grids in this nation have left us vulnerable as Ive been informed, right or wrong?that when the electricity flicker( power surges/)or goes out that at that moment the hacking can occur as ones systems are the most vulnerable. Even good power surge strips have not prevented the modem box from going out. and malware came through it our IP provider said. The electric smart meters do not use broadband but radio frequencies and thought that was the issue when even the It provider thought it was broad band too and frequency too close or using the same one? But in our area we have twice the households and still only one electrical company transformer as we did 17 years ago, for our community. So I asked OG@E if we could put a super power surge strip before it got to the smart meter and they did not take the suggestion well. OF COURSE I WANTED THEM TO PAY FOR IT. AS IT WOULD GO ON THEIR ELECTRIC POLE. YES, WE DO NOT YET HAVE UNDERGROUND WIRES FOR OUR ENERGY YET.JUST ONE MORE REASON TO GO SOLAR OR WIND, AND INSTEAD OF ALL THOSE KITCHEN APPLIANCES ON THAT GRID, GET ONES IT AND DECIDES ON IT. BUT IN OUR AREA WE HAVE NO ONE TO INSTALL SUCH AND THE COST IS FAR BEYOND THOSE ON MODEST OR FIXED INCOMES. SO YUHC OF OUR VULNERABILITY MAY BE BACK TO THE BASICS OF US SPENDING BILLIONS IN EVERY OTHER NATION TO UPGRADE THEIR ELECTRIC GRID AND NOTHING IN THE USA DESPITE THE INCREASED PRICES WE PAY FOR OUR ELECTRICITY. THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE HAVE TO SHARE THE COST OF IN OUR SOCIETY OR THE WHOLE NATION SUFFERS AND MAYBE THIS is just another basic one. I called the FCC AS IT APPEARED OVER THE LAST MONTH THAT EVEN THE MOST EXPERT IN IT SEEMED UNABLE TO GIVE ME A CLEAR ANSWER OF WHAT IS OUR ISSUE IN OUR HOME SYSTEMS. AND BEGAN TO GET ALL KIND SOF CONFLICTING ANSWERS FROM THOSE WHO KNEW A LOT OF A SMALL PART OF THE IT FIELD BUT LITTLE OF HOW IT CONNECTED TO THE REST OF THE ADJUNCT PARTS, LIKE ELECTRICITY. CONCLUSION: ITS OUR OUTDATED ELECTRICAL GRID THAT MAKES US THE FIRST STEP TO BEING IT VULNERABLE.? Linda Joy Adams computer operator since 1967, but not an expert. 