Alvin Toffler, in his book Powershift, writes, “Knowledge, violence, and wealth, and the relationships between them, define power and society.” The September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States stunningly illustrate how the nature of power and our society is affected by technology in general and information technology specifically. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon—the symbols and centers of America’s economic and military strength, respectively—were both rammed by Boeing jetliners—examples of America’s dominance in commercial aviation. All of this was visible on a stage seen by the entire world in real-time, thanks to television and video cameras with real-time viewer interaction made possible by cell phones, pagers, e-mail, and the Internet. In the immediate aftermath, we saw thousands dead, a plunging stock market, and a whole nation disrupted by shock, anger, sadness, and fear—a fear that, in an instant, the relative safety we had taken for granted was now irrevocably shattered. How could so few affect so many and so much? Would we, could we, ever feel safe again?
      Our technologically interconnected society supports the phenomenon that a few can significantly impact many. A 1965 finding known to computer gurus as Moore’s Law explains how increasing the number of transistors could double the power and speed of computer chips every 18 months. This is why last year’s Pentium processor is half price now and the newest models are twice as powerful. These advances make it feasible and economical for computers to be everywhere—from our desktops and pockets to our power plants and car brakes. Virtually anything can and is connected to everything else via computer and telecommunication networks. This is how a failure in a seemingly small and isolated component can cause failure across an entire system. Remember the 1965 blackout of New York City? That collapse of the Northeast power grid started with the failure of a single small electrical relay in Niagara Falls. The fact is our technological prowess has outstripped our ability to predict accurately what a complex system will do in all situations. Our interconnectedness and the complexity of our systems leave us vulnerable to unanticipated failures and to deliberate attacks. Systems now must be engineered with security in mind as well as safety and correctness.