Increasing problems we face today are Electromagnetic strikes on our technology and devices. We are more vulnerable to such attacks because “Our infrastructure increasingly depends on closely integrated, high-speed electronic systems operating at low internal voltages. That means they can be laid low by short, sharp pulses high in voltage but low in energy—output that can now be generated by a machine the size of a suitcase, batteries included,” Bill Radasky, an HEMP and IEMI expert, said in a recent column in the IEEE Spectrum.
Electromagnetic Interference has occurred since the 1990s; however, we have more of a problem today because our devices are working at higher frequencies – which make our devices more susceptible to interference. Our electronics were initially programmed to resist naturally occurring interference but not such levels of interference intended to break down the device.
“Today, any digitally controlled infrastructure presents a target: Power, telecommunications, finance, water, natural gas, and more are all coming under the ever-finer control of computers. Right now the power systems in developed areas of the world are installing smart power meters in homes and businesses, along with communications systems to transmit the data. The new wave of distributed renewable power systems requires additional sensors to determine their operating status, so that the grid can operate efficiently and avoid collapse. The increased need for information and the means to communicate it make all these systems vulnerable to anyone who may wish to create problems—and that means hackers, criminals, vandals, and terrorists.”
We see numerous electromagnetic attacks because electromagnetic weapons don’t create much risk for the attacker when being used, and because generating an attack is an easy process. In order to create disturbance all you would need to do is “begin with a generator, fold in a battery, and garnish with either an antenna to propagate the output or a hardwired connection into the building you have targeted. Even a briefcase-size model could generate EM fields with peaks in the thousands of volts per meter, and those peaks would come fast and short, with a rise time of about 100 picoseconds and a pulse width of about 1 nanosecond. Such a pulse would contain frequencies between 100 megahertz and several gigahertz.”
Over the past 15 years laboratories worldwide have worked on projects and conducted experiments to study how devices resist electromagnetic attacks. “The emphasis for attacks has been on personal computers, alone and in networks, but more recent testing has included cash machines, industrial control equipment, substation electronics, power supplies, Ethernet components, Wi-Fi networks, automobiles, GPS electronics, cellular phones, tablets, and various sensors.”
Ways to protect your devices from risk of electromagnetic attacks include: fitting cables and wires with filter protectors, secure the building, move devices into an area with metal walls for better protection, and shut down device immediately if you become aware of an attack. Installing an alarm to detect attacks is also effective.
