Future cyber attacks could rival 9-11, cripple US, warns Panetta..

The Secretary of Defense laid out why the military should be involved in defending critical infrastructure
 The U.S. is facing a dramatically increasing threat from cyber attacks and a future attack on the country's critical infrastructure could have an effect similar to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of 2001, the U.S. Secretary of Defense said Thursday evening.
Speaking at a meeting of the Business Executives for National Security (BENS) in New York, Leon Panetta called the Internet "the battlefield of the future" and spelled out what he believes the Department of Defense's role should be in cyberspace.
The military's role in securing the domestic Internet and working against attacks on commercial institutions has been controversial, although Panetta sought to get the assembled business leaders on his side by warning them of the danger a large-scale attack could have on their companies.
"A cyber attack perpetrated by nation states or violent extremist groups could be as destructive as the terrorist attack on 9/11," he said in the televised speech. "Such a destructive cyber terrorist attack could virtually paralyze the nation."

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9232317/Future_cyber_attacks_could_rival_9_11_cripple_US_warns_Panetta