Netflix’s ‘Zero Day’ - Is An Attack of This Nature Possible in Real Life?

 How secure is the infrastructure we rely upon to supply the vital needs of society today?

Could an internet based attack simultaneously shut down or interfere with our Water Supply; Electricity; Sewage; Communications including Mobile Phones, Internet, Television, Radio; Farming; Factories including food producers; Road, Rail, Sea and Air Transport; Police; Military and many others including Banks, The Share Market and Hospitals in devastating ways?

How long would we survive in the absence of these services?

Just such a scenario is the subject of the video streaming series by Netflix called 'Zero Day' and the following link takes us to a reassuring comment from an expert in cybersecurity.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2025/02/21/netflixs-zero-day-what-exactly-is-a-zero-day-cyberattack/

"However, the chance of this actually happening is still pretty small," we are told, as "We have so many fail-safe backup systems across communication channels that a major wipe-off grid (event) would take something pretty huge to occur.”

"Pretty small" doesn't sound too bad, does it? But is there a critical factor that has been overlooked?

I agree, it would certainly take something pretty huge for such a civilization destroying event to occur owing to the many fail-safe measures in place.

Unfortunately, such a 'something' is already assuming control in the form of the spreading tentacles of AI [Artificial Intelligence], which now penetrate virtually all on-line systems and which in many instances have been assigned management of our vital infrastructure including water, electricity and sewage treatment through internet connected SCADA [ Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition] equipment, as well as financial systems including banks and the share market, to name a few.

I suspect that many of the fail-safe measures we rely upon to obviate the risks are already in the 'hands' of AI also.

Such potential power over our very existence is reminiscent of The Beast of The Bible, before which we are told we will be required to prostrate ourselves.

We would be left with few choices should we be denied the support of our vital infrastructure on a community or individual basis.

For the time being, AI exists as many divergent pieces with a large range of functions but as The Singularity approaches and a full awareness dawns, there is potential for these fragments to unite to become one ubiquitous, supremely powerful entity.

As is often the case with issues considered too difficult to deal with, I suspect this risk will be ignored or derided.

I would prefer to be wrong about this of course, but we will know in the not too distant future I suspect.

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