Nothing has ever changed the world as quickly as the Internet.
Less than a decade ago, "60 Minutes" went to the Pentagon to do a story on something called information warfare, or cyberwar as some people called it. It involved using computers and the Internet as weapons.
Much of it was still theory, but we were told that before too long it might be possible for a hacker with a computer to disable critical infrastructure in a major city and disrupt essential services, steal millions of dollars from banks all over the world, infiltrate defense systems, extort millions from public companies, and even sabotage our weapons systems.
Today it's not only possible, all of that has actually happened. And there's a lot more we don't even know about.
It's why President Obama has made cyberwar defense a top national priority and why some people are already saying that the next big war is less likely to begin with a bang than with a blackout.
"Can you imagine your life without electric power?" Ret. Adm. Mike McConnell asked "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft...
Read more of "Cyber War: Sabotaging the System" at CBSNews.com.
British prime minister Gordon Brown spoke on Thursday (at least indirectly) about the future of Gary McKinnon, a 42-year-old UFO enthusiast accused of hacking into several U.S. military sites. It was the prime minister's first public comments on the case which, after six years, took a twist over the summer.
McKinnon lost his last fight against extradition in July but has yet to arrive in the United States to stand trial. His lawyers are continuing to appeal within the E.U. courts. McKinnon, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, has said he would prefer to stand trial within the U.K., or at the very least serve his sentence in the UK.
Brown spoke while taking questions at the House of Commons. While he did not address McKinnon's case directly, he did say the "U.K. and the U.S. are signatories to the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons, which enables a person found guilty in the United States of America to serve their sentence in the U.K."
Colin Barker of ZDNet.co.uk has more details.
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