Cyber Weapons and e-Bombs

Recently NATO's Chief of Cyber Defense stated that cyber terrorism/cyber attack poses as great a threat to national security as a missile attack. Strong words for sure.

Most people do not equate cyber war with explosives, but that is short sighted. Ever heard of TEDs or EPFCs? If you havent, you are not alone. In a recent briefing of 85 individuals responsible for business continuity in a major U.S. city, no one had ever heard of the two terms either.

TEDs and EPFCs are two weapons that create an EMP - electromagnetic pulse (similar to that nuclear explosion but less powerful) that destroy electronic circuitry. Both of these devices use conventional explosives to push an armature through and electromagnetic field.

The resulting pulse generated by a van size device could destroy electronics in an area up to a couple city blocks.

• TEDs Transient electromagnetic devices


• EPFCs Explosively pumped flux compressor


• Development Assessment Cost = Low between $500 and $1,000


• Design = Multiple websites had fairly detailed design plans


• Skill Set = Moderate basic wiring and mechanical skills. (High School Shop Class)


• Detection = Low due to the minimal amount of special needs required to build a device. The only special material required are conventional explosives.


• Defense = Building data centers underground and metal shielding as well as utilities isolation would be required to defend against such an attack. EMP weapons attack our computers and communications infrastructure. The development of TEDs and EPFCs now makes the threat of an EMP attack much more likely. These EMP weapons pose a unique threat to the electronic society and our national security and economy.

Can you imagine the stock market reaction in one such device was detonated on Wall Street?

-- Kevin Coleman