Reply #20: I'll say it again. [View All]

[Heywood J]

Why are mission-critical applications connected to the public Internet? Be it national defense systems like the Pentagon's, critical power utility computers, or databases that hold medical and credit records - none of this should ever be directly connected to the public, EVER. If you have need for connection between sites, hire out some dark fiber or a private leased line that your equipment (and only your equipment) connects to.

This is an inevitable result of trying to cheap out on communications costs by using a public network. No matter how good your encryption is on the front door, someone will be better at hacking another door open through what you thought was a solid wall. Whether it's the Chinese military or someone doing it for the extortion money just depends on who won the coin toss that day.