Destroys Electronics in an Instant
An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an instantaneous burst of high
power energy caused by man-made sources such as electromagnetic
weapons or a high-altitude nuclear burst, and occurs as a radiated
field that couples on to electrical lines, telecommunication lines,
and other metallic paths into a facility. In an EMP event, every
piece of unprotected equipment that relies on integrated circuits
for operation could be immediately disabled or destroyed. The modern
day reliance on electronic devices in all phases of life presents an
ever-increasing risk of catastrophic interruption of critical
business, control and life support systems. EMP protection has
become an essential element for all businesses and services that
require electronic equipment and communication for day-to-day
operations.
EMP Q & A
Q 1: Why is EMP becoming one of the greatest
threats facing data centers?
A: Do you remember in the movie Oceans Eleven,
when Las Vegas was rendered powerless?
Well, that event could happen at any time.
The movie depicted an Intentional Electromagnetic Pulse (IEMI)
attack. We are all aware of an protect against natural disasters
such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and tornados, but your
business could also be crippled by an even greater threat, and EMP.
In a matter of seconds and without warning, an EMP could permanently
destroy all electronic equipment including hardware, software, and
data.
Q 2: What causes an EMP?
A: An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) could come
from two sources:
1) A deliberate electromagnetic weapon attack
Without causing any harm to humans, the effects from an IEMI weapon
could disable regional electronic devices.
2) A nuclear device detonated in space, high above the U.S.
A High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) detonated 30 miles or
higher above the Earth’s surface would destroy electronic devices
within a targeted area without creating blast damage, radiation
damage, or injuring anyone.
Q 3: What would it be like to experience an
EMP?
A: An EMP would be far more catastrophic than a
cyber-attack.
All electronic equipment and apparatus could
be destroyed.
In an IEMI attack, every device that relies on integrated circuits
for operation could be immediately disabled or destroyed. And unlike
a cyber-attack, where “fingerprints” can often be found for forensic
analysis, an IEMI attacker will not leave any information behind.
Studies have also shown that an EMP shutdown of electronics is so
rapid that the log files in computers will not indicate what
happened.
Q 4: Has there been any media attention
regarding EMP?
A: Media coverage has been growing.
The 2013 Data Center World’s opening session
discussed wide-area electric outage threats.
The opening panel for Data Center World’s 2013 conference outlined
various threats facing the country’s electrical infrastructure,
including EMP. Recent articles have also appeared in the Wall Street
Journal, Fox News, the Washington Examiner and Yahoo News. These
articles focus on the impact of EMP and how the U.S. could be thrown
into a state of technological chaos.
Q 5: Do weapons or devices exist that could
create an EMP?
A: Weapons have been tested and are currently
available on the Internet.
EMP weapons are already here.
Terrorist or criminal groups could readily disrupt or damage our way
of life in a matter of seconds by insidiously targeting US
metropolitan cities and/or individual companies with an (IEMI)
Intentional Electromagnetic Interference weapon. IEMI attack weapons
can be readily purchased or assembled using instructions available
on the Internet. They range from a small hand grenade-sized device
to a suitcase-contained weapon and move up to a JOLT generator which
fits on the back of a small trailer.
The CHAMP missile disabled the electronics in seven office
buildings.
In a 2012 test, a Boeing CHAMP (Counter-Electronics High-Power
Advanced Missile Project) missile successfully disabled the
electronics in a two-story building by firing high power microwaves
(a type of IEMI threat). Every PC inside went dark within seconds,
as did the building’s entire electrical system. The test was so
successful that it also disabled cameras recording the event. Over
the course of one hour, the missile knocked out electrical systems
at seven selectively targeted buildings with little or no collateral
damage.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/24/3546690/boeing-us-air-force-champ-missile-test-launch
Q 6: How much EMP is needed to destroy your
data equipment?
A: Most electronic equipment can survive a
pulse of 10 Volts per meter.
An EMP would create a pulse of 10,000 V/m.
Volts per meter (V/m) are the standard units of electric field
strength used to determine electromagnetic immunity in products and
equipment.
An EMP would result in a high intensity pulse of over 10,000 V/m,
which is 1,000 times more field than IT equipment is designed to
handle. Every piece of electronic equipment could be damaged beyond
repair with data corruption and permanent software malfunctions. It
is also interesting to note that even the most robust aircraft
cockpit equipment is only designed to survive up to 7,200 V/m.
Q 7: What types of businesses are at the
greatest risk?
A: The malfunction of electronics will have the
most devastating impact on critical infrastructure segments.
According to Department of Homeland Security,
critical infrastructure businesses include:
- Telecommunication
- Financial Services
- Security Services
- Electricity Generation
- Transmission and Distribution
- Public Health, Health Records
- Gas Production, Transport, and Distribution
Q 8: What is the government doing to protect
us from an EMP?
A: Legislated policies do not yet exist.
Government organizations are studying the
threat, but haven’t taken action.
EMP Commission- According to Presidential Policy Directive 21, in
2001 the US House Armed Services Committee established the
Commission to Assess the Threat to the US from Electromagnetic Pulse
Attack (EMP Commission) to assess the high-altitude EMP threat to
the U.S. from potentially hostile states, or parties such as
terrorists that have or could acquire nuclear and ballistic missiles
to conduct such an attack.
The EMP commission warned:
FEDRAMP – All Federal agencies and affiliated service
providers must use the Federal Risk and Authorization Management
Program (FEDRAMP) when buying and authorizing cloud computing
solutions. This will ensure that agencies using consumer cloud
services adequately address security issues including
electromagnetic pulse from a baseline perspective.
Certain types of relatively low-yield nuclear weapons can be
employed to generate potentially catastrophic EMP effects over wide
geographic areas and designs for such weapons may have been
illicitly trafficked for a quarter-century… It has the capability to
produce significant damage to critical infrastructures and thus the
fabric of the U.S. society.
FERC – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with
jurisdiction over US interstate electricity sales, wholesale
electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, and
oil pipeline rates has begun taking strong measures to protect the
country’s power grid.
Q 9: Do other countries know about EMP?
A: Countries such as Egypt, India, Pakistan,
Iraq, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have knowledge regarding
EMP.
North Korea, Iran, and China have been
developing weapons.
According to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and
Pacific Security Affairs, China already has an exotic
electromagnetic pulse weapon that can devastate electronic systems
using a burst of energy similar to that produced by a nuclear blast.
Iran and North Korea have also been conducting mid-flight missile
detonations, and the main reason to test such a capability is to
detonate an EMP weapon.
Q 10: Who are some of the industry experts?
A: Dr. William Radasky is a leading expert in
the industry.
Dr. William Radasky is the world’s foremost
EMP expert.
As an ETS-Lindgren team member, Dr. William Radasky is known
internationally for his dedication to understanding the threats of
HEMP and IEMI and for developing mitigation and methods to protect
commercial facilities from these EMP threats. Dr. Radasky is the
Chairman of the International Electromagnetic Commission (IEC)
Subcommittee 77C, which is developing high-power electromagnetic
protection and test standards including HEMP and IEMI for civil
systems. Radasky’s additional credentials include:
- IEEE Life Fellow for contributions to understanding
high-power electromagnetic effects on electrical equipment
- IEC Lord Kelvin Award Winner for significant contributions
to international standardization
- Special Issue Editor for the IEEE EMC Transactions on IEMI
(2004) and HEMP (2013)
- Author of over 400 articles on EMP-related topics
- M.S., University of New Mexico; and Ph.D. in Electrical
Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara.
http://www.empauthority.com/what-is-emp/