LONDON, July 8 (UPI) -- London-based insurer Lloyd's released a report Wednesday that says a cyberattack on the U.S. power grid could cost more than $1 trillion.
Citing property damage, high death rates and crippled infrastructure, Lloyd's said the United States would see a rise in mortality as health and safety systems fail and disruptions to transportation and water supplies as electric pumps fail to work.
To arrive at its conclusion, Lloyd's, working with Cambridge University, simulated an attack on 15 U.S. states and evaluated the number of people affected. It calculated that costs could be as high as $1 trillion or as low as $243 billion.
The apocalyptic predictions accompany previous attacks on U.S. banks and health insurers by foreign hackers that have compromised the information of millions of customers that patronize these companies.
A White House official added that cybersecurity threats are becoming increasingly complex.
