SUMMARY: There are two sides to information warfare: one side attacks computers from the inside (crackers, viruses, worms, etc.) while the other is a war total against electronics, conducted through the use of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and radio frequency (RF) devices. In this article I will focus on how RF and EMP devices could be used against the United States in an act of cyberterrorism, how likely such an attack is, and who might conduct it. Finally, I will examine what steps federal, state, and local agencies can take to prevent such a threat or address such an incident should it occur. The ScenarioTHE NEW YORK JOURNAL: June 25, 2002: Major Credit Clearing System Crashes Due to Electromagnetic PulsesThe world's largest transaction clearinghouse, the Clearing House Interbank Payment System, reported today that its computers and Electronic equipment was shut down by a series of electromagnetic pulses, also known as EMP. An RF device is believed to have triggered the pulses somewhere in the immediate vicinity of CHIPS' main offices and backup center in New Jersey. Nearly all electronic devices within a half-mile radius of one of the buildings have stopped working, and telephone and power lines in the immediate vicinity of the buildings are down." This single event could cause a shock wave that could send the world economy in a crisis. depression,” said Aaron Gruber, professor of economics at Harvard University. “The lack of a rapid compensation system, even for just a few days, could lead to small businesses closing their doors and perhaps even some of the larger companies closing. It could, potentially, cause a downward trend in consumption that would spread outward. , affecting other sectors as well.." Founded in 1972, the Clearing House Interbank Payment System serves as a computerized transaction clearing system for everything from credit cards to debit cards to checking accounts, handling up to 1.3 trillions of dollars of transactions every day. Even bank officials admit that losing the system for even a few hours could cost billions of dollars because the system is critical to verifying transactions between businesses and consumers.B. Analysis While it may seem like a small inconvenience to those of us who rely on credit cards, debit cards and checks to pay for items we need, an RF attack on such an institution could be more nightmarish than it initially seems.