Solar Energy News  
CYBER WARS
WikiLeaks list did not lead to attacks
by Staff Writers
Dallas TX (SPX) Mar 01, 2016


File image.

The WikiLeaks organization was criticized for providing a target list for terrorists when it published a secret memo in 2010 with 200 international sites that the U.S. Department of State considered critical to national security.

Was there any truth to that claim?

Dr. Daniel G. Arce, Ashbel Smith Professor and program head of economics in the UT Dallas School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, wanted to find out. In a new study published in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, he found no evidence that the leak led to any attacks.

"When the list came out, there was a lot of concern that this was a to-do list for terrorists," Arce said. "I wanted to answer the question. If you're going to make claims, at some point you have got to look back and see if the claims were true."

WikiLeaks published a secret memo listing critical infrastructure facilities around the world. The classified Department of Homeland Security information listed weapons manufacturers, mines, pharmaceutical facilities and other sites that, if attacked, would critically impact the United States. U.S. officials denounced WikiLeaks for releasing the list, saying it could jeopardize national security.

As part of his analysis, Arce compared the facilities with more than 40,000 terrorism incidents entered in the Global Terrorism Database, which includes information on terrorism events. Arce focused on events occurring from December 2010 through 2014.

Of more than 200 sites on the State Department's list, two were attacked after the locations were leaked.

An attack on an oil refinery in Basra, Iraq, resulted in no casualties. Arce said it would be difficult to attribute the attack to WikiLeaks given the insurgent activity in that nation. The other attack was on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in Turkey, which had been attacked multiple times before the release of the WikiLeaks list.

"It's really unlikely that it was a to-do list for terrorists," Arce said. "It doesn't appear that it created as much of a security risk as claimed." He noted that failed attacks might not be chronicled in the database.

Although Arce said the leak did not turn out to be a target list for terrorists, the document revealed which sites the U.S. government deemed most critical. Arce's analysis found that those locations differed significantly from targets previously attacked by terrorists. He said the sites may have been included based on anticipated attacks rather than on previous attack patterns.

"It's possible that sites on the list were not attacked because the list prompted better security at those locations," Arce said. "Based on these findings, more research is needed to evaluate the risks to facilities on the list."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of Texas at Dallas
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
CYBER WARS
Apple-FBI case has wide implications
Washington (AFP) Feb 28, 2016
Apple and the US government are squaring off in an epic legal battle with wide-ranging implications for how technology firms must work with law enforcement. The iPhone maker is being asked to provide "reasonable assistance" to the investigation of the last year's deadly San Bernardino attacks by disabling security preventing the FBI from accessing the encrypted handset of one of the shooters ... read more


CYBER WARS
A new recipe for biofuel

Scientists unlock key to turning wastewater and sewage into power

WELTEC Group Acquires 3.3 MW Biogas Plant

ONR engineers innovative research in synthetic biology

CYBER WARS
Underwater robots can be programmed to make independent decisions

Facebook donates servers to speed up research into AI

Help NASA Create Better Vision for Robonaut

Boston Dynamics robot learns from being bullied

CYBER WARS
Adwen Chooses Sentient Science For Computational Gearbox Testing

EU boasts of strides in renewable energy

Offshore U.K. to host world's largest wind farm

Germany aims to build wind energy reputation

CYBER WARS
VW faces huge US lawsuit over pollution cheating

US judge gives VW a month to present diesel fix plan

Some distractions while driving are more risky than others

Uber defends driver scrutiny in wake of shooting

CYBER WARS
Creation of Jupiter interior, a step towards room temp superconductivity

Quantum phase transition underpins superconductivity in copper oxides

New material to enhance battery life

Understanding how turbulence drains heat from fusion reactors

CYBER WARS
Lithuania aims synchronization of electricity system with Europe: PM

Japan restarts another reactor, fourth since tsunami disaster shutdown

Fifth year of losses for Areva on Finnish provisions

Areva secures bridging loan to survive 2016

CYBER WARS
New model maps energy usage of every building in Boston

The forecast for renewable energy in 2016

US, Canada and Mexico sign clean energy pact

Supreme Court deals blow to Obama climate plan

CYBER WARS
Temperature changes wreak ecological havoc in deforested areas

Cambodia to use helicopter gunships in logging crackdown

New insights into the seasonality of Amazon's evergreen forests

Fungi are at the root of tropical forest diversity - or lack thereof









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.