Queen City On Alert For "Cyber Pearl Harbor"

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by Kirk Hawkins
Bio | Email | Follow: @kirkhawkins

Story Created: Oct 12, 2012 at 9:15 PM EDT

Story Updated: Oct 13, 2012 at 2:52 PM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is warning government and business
leaders of a cyber "Pearl Harbor."  "All the things that make life run for us they're gonna go after and we'll feel it," said Retired F.B.I. Asst. Director Chris Swecker. Swecker has been in charge of the FBI's cyber and criminal divisions. He said the warning of a surprise cyber attack is ten years overdue. "All this is through the internet and nothing toward the internet is secure," Swecker said.

Swecker and other experts say this has the very real potential to hit Charlotte for a few days."We would feel it doubly here in Charlotte," Swecker said. Swecker said the banking and energy sectors in the Queen City could be most vulnerable to a cyber attack. Duke Energy said an Incident Response Team works closely with local, state and federal law enforcement around the clock on cyber security as part of it's "Multi-layered, Defense-In-Depth approach to protect its computer systems."

Wells Fargo wouldn't comment on Secretary Panetta's remarks. In a statement Wells Fargo Spokeswoman Bridget Braxton said "Security is core to our mission and safeguarding our customers’
information is at the foundation of all we do," she said.

Bank of America had no comment. Swecker said this doomsday scenario is likely only if there's a conflict with Iran, China, Russia and North Korea.

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