The FBI reports that cyberattacks could overtake terrorism as the major threat to the country. According to the Department of Homeland Security, between October 2011 and February 2012, there were 86 reported attacks on U.S. computer systems that control critical infrastructure, factories and databases, compared with 11 over the same period a year ago.

Now more than ever, the focus should be on securing and insulating our nation’s computer and Internet infrastructure from both internal and external attacks. The first step in anticipating large-scale cyberattacks is to start thinking of them more like the proverbial disaster waiting to happen — not a question of if, but when. Planning requires going beyond the limitations of current thinking and considering worst case scenarios.

To keep reading my full article visit “The Internet Privacy Debate Misses the Point,” published April 23 by the Huffington Post.