PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “NOVA: CYBERWAR THREAT” on DVD. The global cyberwar is heating up, and the stakes are no longer limited to the virtual world of computers. Now, sophisticated cyber weapons unleashed via the Internet can inflict physical damage—destroying control systems that regulate everything from food factories, gas pipelines, power plants and chemical facilities to the elevators in our buildings.
It may seem farfetched that a computer program can wreak destruction from a distance. But the United States is investing billions of dollars in this new form of warfare—and we’re not alone. Allies and enemies alike are rushing to develop these weapons. But what will this new arms race mean for our future? Will it make the U.S. more vulnerable to cyber attacks and retaliation?
“NOVA: CYBERWAR THREAT” will be available on DVD January 5, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 60 minutes, and the SRP is $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download. Watch the trailer, below from Baker & Taylor AV.
In this gripping new documentary, NOVA gains unprecedented and unrestricted access to an archive of top-secret NSA documents taken by former cyber warrior, Edward Snowden. They detail how the United States, its allies and its enemies are all searching for offensive cyber weapons and how America’s quest for dominance may inadvertently be putting the US at risk.
Featuring a one-of-a-kind interview with Edward Snowden as well as former NSA employees, leading cyber-security specialists, defense experts and government officials, pioneers in cryptology and investigative journalists who have probed the murky realm of criminal and strategic hacking, the program takes viewers around the globe to explore the invention of this new technology-driven mode of warfare and some of the actual cases in which it has been used to attack real targets. The film will also reveal, through NSA’s own documents, how cyber attacks may unfold and how difficult they will be to defend.
In the past, the world was largely dependent on an infrastructure of hardwires linking switches to equipment and devices. Then came the Internet, at first simply a new means of peaceful communication but now the internet has also become a massive industrial switch, enabling global critical infrastructures to be remotely controlled, modernizing everything from water purification systems to the national electrical grids. But those advances come with a risk: the possibility for anyone with a laptop, and the right set of instructions, to penetrate the porous web of signals that link these systems together.
The program outlines the growth of the cyber offensive in the United States. The public is already aware of controversial eavesdropping and surveillance abilities by the NSA and other government agencies. Today, the National Security Agency (NSA)—the country’s largest, most powerful, and most secret intelligence agency—is also already using the Internet as a weapons delivery system for a new type of battle. From a series of leaks and a few unintended consequences, the once-hidden cyberwar being waged by the NSA is coming into full view. The film also looks at why the United States considers it so important to take such an aggressive stance and dominate the field.
Reported by author James Bamford, who has spent decades pulling back the curtain on the activities of the NSA for previous documentaries, such as NOVA’s “Spy Factory,” the film also interviews an array of compelling experts. NOVA is granted a rare interview with former-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, whose last job for the agency focused on cyber warfare. NOVA also obtained unrestricted access to the entire collection of archives Snowden took from the NSA, including hundreds of thousands of documents not yet released. The program will also feature conversations with General Michael Hayden, Director the National Security Agency during the 9-11 attacks and Director of the CIA during the development of the first cyber weapons.
Because of the information revealed in documents leaked by Snowden, countries around the world now know the extent of the NSA’s eavesdropping and secret planting of malware in their systems, and some are beginning to fight back. As the most Internet-connected country on earth, the United States is also the most vulnerable. “NOVA: CyberWar Threat” explores the controversies surrounding this secret global warfare and what it means for the future of America.
NOVA: CYBERWAR THREAT
Street Date: JANUARY 5, 2016
Genre: Documentary
Run Time: Approximately 60 Minutes
SRP: $24.99
Format: DVD
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