Part 6/15:
Baker notes that the threat is no longer a distant concern but an immediate reality. The U.S. government, including military and intelligence agencies, has historically kept infrastructure security as a high priority, but in recent years, the urgency has increased. He mentions that some parts of the government have only recently begun to recognize the scope of the threat, which has been ongoing for years.
He criticizes the oversight and underfunding of protective measures, such as the fact that some power grids still operate with default passwords like “password,” exemplifying a dangerous complacency. Baker stresses the need for extensive infrastructure hardening—a costly but necessary process—to prevent catastrophic cyber or physical feats.