On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 13:05:52 -0600, Lady Liberty
<LadyLiberty@NOSPAMPlanetaryBillOfRights.org> wrote:
In the new book War Footing, I haven't read it but hear that they
talk about the possibility that terrorists could set off an EMP
device over the United States, wiping out most of our electronic
infastructure and bringing the country to its knees.
I'm wondering about the actual effects of such a device.
Would it destroy my computer, even if it was turned off and
unplugged at the time?
Almost certainly not, unless it was an *extremely strong pulse.
Isolated systems without 'collectors' (antennas, power lines, cables,
etc.) attached tend to be much harder to affect with EMP. A computer
that was plugged in could get a jolt over the power lines but it would
tend to destroy the power supply first. Computers hooked up to an
internet/ethernet connection could be fried through that.
Would it destroy the electronics and the hard drive or just the
electronics?
Probably not either. Even if it got to the hard drive the data
wouldn't be affected, just the controller.
If it destroyed the hard drive too, would it also destroy a
backup drive that was in the drawer of a steel desk?
Nope.
A backup drive in a bank vault safety deposit box?
Nope.
What about backing up your critical data on CDROM, would it harm
that too?
Nope. If you have an EM field strong enough to break down a CD-ROM in
your house you have more to worry about than whether your data's okay
or not.
Would it wipe out all the bank accounts so that your money would
all disappear? Or have the banks taken precautions to protect
against it and harden their equipment.
Backups. The data is easily preserved, the hardware to run it on may
not be.
Can home computers be hardened too, inexpensively?
Yes. A good UPS will act as a buffer to take out power surges. It
might destroy the UPS, of course. A faraday cage will shield
whatever's inside from EM interference. Shielding the network
connection is tougher.
What about the aftermath of such an attack? What kind of actual
societal disruptions would we expect, and for how long? Would it
be serious ***** hitting the fan, like mass civil disorder,
rioting and looting?
I'm guessing that a nuclear attack could cause some knock-on social
disruptions, yes.
Would we need a food and water supply? For how long?
Would a stock of guns and ammo help in a city area or should we
just get out if it happens?
There are so many questions that should be considered, and of
course now is the best time.
.
