WE TALK ABOUT BEING VULNERABLE TO ELECTRONIC ATTACK, AND YOU’RE
USED TO THIS SCARY LINE OF WORK.
BUT DIRECTOR COATS TODAY RAN
THROUGH WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT A CYBER 9/11, A
PHRASE NOT TO BE TOSSED AROUND
CASUALLY.
CASUALLY. BUT HERE FOR JUST A MINUTE WE’LL
GIVE OUR VIEWERS SOME IDEA OF
WHAT WE MEAN.
WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
SIDE. >> I’M CONCERNED ABOUT A CYBER
9/11 --
9/11 -- >> WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE?
>> WELL, LET’S SAY YOU SHUTDOWN
WALL STREET FOR A WEEK.
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO WORLD
MARKETS AND PEOPLE’S
INVESTMENTS?
INVESTMENTS? LET’S SAY YOU CRASH A BANK OF
AMERICA OR WELLS FARGO OR
WHATEVER AND ALL OF A SUDDEN
PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WAIT A
MINUTE, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY
ACCOUNT?
ACCOUNT? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY RETIREMENT?
WELL, WE’LL GET A BACK.
WE’VE SEEN THIS AND WE’VE SEEN
COVERAGE OF THAT.
WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE BIG ONE.
WHAT ABOUT OUR ATTACK ON THE
ELECTRIC GRID IN NEW ENGLAND IN
JANUARY?
JANUARY? THAT MAY BE SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH
TO TAKE IT OUT IN THREE DAYS.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL DIE FROM
MINUS DEGREE WEATHER ON THAT?
I MEAN, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT
YOU HAVE TO TRY ANTICIPATE WHAT
ARE THE CAPABILITIES THAT OUR
ADVERSARIES NOW HAVE IF THEY
WANTED TO USE THEM?
>> JOHN, THAT GETS OUR
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. AND WHAT’S THE GAP BETWEEN THAT
POTENTIAL REALITY AND OUR
REALITY, WHAT WE’RE DOING TO
PREVENT IT RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, I THINK WE’RE DOING A
LOT TO PREVENT THAT KIND OF
CYBER 9/11 IN A SENSE OF
PREPARING OUR DEFENSES.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THIS WHITE
HOUSE HAS ELIMINATED THE CYBER
COORDINATOR WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE PERSON TO ORGANIZE ALL OF
THE EFFORTS IN THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. THE PROBLEM WITH CYBER, BRIAN,
IS THAT EVERYONE HAS A PIECE OF
IT.
IT. ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE YOU HAVE
THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY.
ON THE POLICY SIDE YOU HAVE THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
AND SO FORTH AND SO ON.
THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT HAS A
ROLE.
ROLE. YOU NEED SOMEONE TO PULL ALL OF
THAT TOGETHER AND NO ONE’S DOING
THAT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ANGLE.
AND I WOULD ADD THIS, BRIAN, IN
A WAY I THINK WE’VE ALREADY HAD
OUR CYBER 9/11.
FOR ME IT’S A CYBER 9/11 WHEN
150 AMERICANS HAVE BEEN EXPOSED
TO RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA THROUGH
FACEBOOK AS FACEBOOK HAS
ACKNOWLEDGED AND COUNTLESS
OTHERS THROUGH TWITTER.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT’S NOT THE
KIND OF CYBER ATTACK THAT IS
DRAMATIC IN THE WAY THAT THE
DIRECTOR POINTED OUT.
THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF DRAMATIC
CYBER EVENTS THAT COULD OCCUR.
THE ONES HE MENTIONED SHUTDOWN
ALL THE ATMs ON THE EAST COAST,
FOR EXAMPLE, IMAGINE THE CHAOS
THAT WOULD CREATE.
FRANKLY, I DON’T THINK THOSE
THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN
EXCEPT IN A WAR, THE CONFLICT
THAT HAS ESCALATED TO THAT
LEVEL.
LEVEL. THE WORRY IS THE ADVERSARY HAS
THE CAPEABILITY TO DO THAT, SO
YOU HAVE TO MONITOR THEIR
INTENTIONS VERY CAREFULLY.
>> A REPUBLICAN HAS STEPPED UP
TONIGHT ON THE PAGES OF THE "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" AT RISK TO HIS
POLITICAL CAREER.
POLITICAL CAREER. HE’S ACTUALLY ONE OF YOUR FORMER
EMPLOYEES.
EMPLOYEES. CONGRESSMAN WILL HERD, A
REPUBLICAN FROM TEXAS, A FORMER
CIA OFFICER WHO HAS WRITTEN THIS
PIECE FOR "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
AND HERE IS HIS LEAD PARAGRAPH.
OVER THE COURSE OF MY CAREER AS
AN UNDER COVER OFFICER IN THE
CIA I SAW RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
MANIPULATE MANY PEOPLE.
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE THE
DAY WHEN AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT
WOULD BE ONE OF THEM.
DIRECTOR McLAUGHLIN, DO YOU
SHARE THAT ASSESSMENT?
>> I DO, BRIAN.
I THINK IT’S A VALID FEAR.
WE DON’T KNOW PRECISELY WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN THIS RELATIONSHIP
BUT IT CERTAINLY LOOKS THAT WAY.
AND GOOD ON WILL HERD FOR
STEPPING UP TO SAY IT.
I THINK HIS PIECE THERE IS
EMBLEMATIC.
EMBLEMATIC. I SENSE IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS A
SHIFTING OF THE TIDE HERE.
YOU ON YOUR PROGRAM AND OTHERS
HAVE TALKED ABOUT AT WHAT POINT
WILL THIS TIP?
AT WHAT POINT WILL THERE BE
CRITICAL MASS OF OBJECTION TO
SOME OF THE LUNACY THAT’S GOING
ON HERE UNDER THIS PRESIDENT?
AND I THINK SOMETHING HAS
HAPPENED IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS
WHEN YOU CONSIDER DIRECTOR RAY,
DIRECTOR COATS, THE DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL TODAY.
SOME PROMINENT REPUBLICANS HAVE
SPOKEN OUT, THOUGH NOT IN AN
ORGANIZED WAY YET ABOUT THE
RUSSIAN EVENTS.
RUSSIAN EVENTS. I JUST THINK THAT THE WAY THE
PRESIDENT -- TO STATE IT BOLDLY,
THE UNITED STATES WAS ATTACKED
AND THE PRESIDENT SIDED IN HIS