--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The potential for the next Pearl Harbor…" description: "\"The potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack,\" — Leon Panetta" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg" --- # The potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be… ![“The potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack,” quote by Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg) > “The potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack,” [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Future attacks may target critical infrastructure like Pearl Harbor did historically. **In simple terms:** Future attacks could be cyber‑Pearl Harbor. Key Takeaway Prepare robust cyber defenses now. Themes security technology history prevention Mood urgent cautionary Type policy strategic When to use this quote - government policy - corporate IT - public awareness Key Concepts cybersecurity military strategy risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What defenses are most critical today? - How can societies balance security and privacy? A Different Perspective May overstate likelihood. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cyber attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyber-attacks/) [Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hacker/) [Pearl harbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pearl-harbor/) ## Related quotes > [When people conceptualize a cyber-attack, they do tend to think about parts of the critical infrastructure like power plants, water supplies, and similar sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/when-people-conceptualize-a-cyber-attack-they-do-tend-to-think-about/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The bare bones tools for a cyber-attack are to identify a vulnerability in the system you want to gain access to or you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-bare-bones-tools-for-a-cyber-attack-are-to-identify-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [What if someone hit us with an EMP, cyber-attack, and dirty bomb all at once? That would be pretty bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/what-if-someone-hit-us-with-an-emp-cyber-attack-and-dirty-bomb-all-at/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [There are two kinds of people in America today: those who have experienced a foreign cyber attack and know it, and those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-wolf/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-america-today-those-who-have/) [Frank Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-wolf/) > [To me, the most terrifying form of warfare would be if there was some simultaneous cyber attack on our grid, on the banking system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-ross/to-me-the-most-terrifying-form-of-warfare-would-be-if-there-was-some/) [Wilbur Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-ross/) > [U.S. computer networks and databases are under daily cyber attack by nation states, international crime organizations, subnational groups, and individual hackers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/u-s-computer-networks-and-databases-are-under-daily-cyber-attack-by/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Once cyber crosses into the realm of the physical, then it's a physical attack, but it starts with cyber. And the idea of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/once-cyber-crosses-into-the-realm-of-the-physical-then-it-s-a/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) > [Today, we face another major potential attack on our country. This attack is not a hijacked plane or bomb, although that remains a threat;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/today-we-face-another-major-potential-attack-on-our-country-this/) [Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/) > [Cyber attacks rain down on us from many places. You have to make your systems secure and safe and teach your people cyber hygiene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kersti-kaljulaid/cyber-attacks-rain-down-on-us-from-many-places-you-have-to-make-your/) [Kersti Kaljulaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kersti-kaljulaid/) > [Cyber attacks are not what makes the cool war 'cool.' As a strategic matter, they do not differ fundamentally from older tools of espionage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/cyber-attacks-are-not-what-makes-the-cool-war-cool-as-a-strategic/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [The United States is more reliant on the technical systems. We're more reliant on the critical infrastructure of the internet than any other nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-united-states-is-more-reliant-on-the-technical-systems-we-re-more/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [It ends a 40-year ban on exporting U.S. oil. It's changed - it's included in its cyber-security legislation - that says to private companies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-davis/it-ends-a-40-year-ban-on-exporting-u-s-oil-it-s-changed-it-s-included/) [Susan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-davis/) > [ In terms of my conversations with \[Vladimir\] Putin, these are conversations that took place before the election. As I indicated, there has been very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/in-terms-of-my-conversations-with-vladimir-putin-these-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Encryption would help prevent a lot of cyber attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/encryption-would-help-prevent-a-lot-of-cyber-attacks/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [Cyber attacks are not going away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lidington/cyber-attacks-are-not-going-away/) [David Lidington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lidington/) ## More by Leon Panetta > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [The one thing that I remember from all of my intelligence briefings and my dealings with the Russians is that when you deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-one-thing-that-i-remember-from-all-of-my-intelligence-briefings/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [The fundamental premise is that neither the United States or the international community is going to allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-fundamental-premise-is-that-neither-the-united-states-or-the/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [If you're a terrorist, you're a terrorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/if-you-re-a-terrorist-you-re-a-terrorist/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [As a result of the kind of partisan trench warfare that's going on in Washington, the special interests on both sides basically drive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/as-a-result-of-the-kind-of-partisan-trench-warfare-that-s-going-on-in/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [These days, it takes only seconds - seconds - for a picture, a photo, to suddenly become an international headline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/these-days-it-takes-only-seconds-seconds-for-a-picture-a-photo-to/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [The consequence could be that we would have an escalation that would take place that would not only involve many lives, but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-consequence-could-be-that-we-would-have-an-escalation-that-would/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Sexual assault has no place in the military. It is a violation of everything that the US military stands for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/sexual-assault-has-no-place-in-the-military-it-is-a-violation-of/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Frankly, my fundamental beliefs have not changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/frankly-my-fundamental-beliefs-have-not-changed/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [People elected Donald Trump because he acts decisively. He fired James Comey. He didn't fire the entire FBI. If there's something there, the FBI…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/people-elected-donald-trump-because-he-acts-decisively-he-fired-james/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [If we don't do something to simplify the tax system, we're going to end up with a national police force of internal revenue agents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/if-we-don-t-do-something-to-simplify-the-tax-system-we-re-going-to/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [If the Iraqis fail to implement the reforms, if they fail to get a handle on the violence, there's nothing the United States can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/if-the-iraqis-fail-to-implement-the-reforms-if-they-fail-to-get-a/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Clearly, Russia has lied to the world about what's going on in Ukraine. They have clearly violated the cease-fire agreements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/clearly-russia-has-lied-to-the-world-about-what-s-going-on-in-ukraine/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [In this century, the 21st century, the U.S. recognizes our prosperity and our security depends even more on the Asia-Pacific region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/in-this-century-the-21st-century-the-u-s-recognizes-our-prosperity/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I think a quality that a national security adviser must have is the ability to set up procedures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/i-think-a-quality-that-a-national-security-adviser-must-have-is-the/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) [Explore all 90 Leon Panetta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) ## More Attack quotes > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) > [The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-best-way-to-counter-attack-a-hater-is-to-make-it-blatantly/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Everything has got a place in my house. If something is moved I get a panic attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/everything-has-got-a-place-in-my-house-if-something-is-moved-i-get-a/) [Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/) > [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Free speech has a very small constituency on the modern campus, particularly if the speaker under attack is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/free-speech-has-a-very-small-constituency-on-the-modern-campus/) [John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/) > [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Attack life. It's going to kill you anyways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attack-life-it-s-going-to-kill-you-anyways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) Browse all 1,074 Attack quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leon Panetta" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor-could-very-well-be-a-cyber/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attack" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor-could-very-well-be-a-cyber/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/leon-panetta-7577_attack_the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor_2736152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack,” — Leon Panetta", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leon Panetta", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The potential for the next Pearl...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor-could-very-well-be-a-cyber/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-potential-for-the-next-pearl-harbor-could-very-well-be-a-cyber/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```