Mass hysteria!!!

But seriously, what would happen if all the computers everywhere suddenly no longer had access to the internet? All the servers go down, and suddenly we've got no email, no instant communication, and no online banking. Transactions are frozen in limbo, money is tied up, and people can't get word to one another as quickly and easily as before.

Enter the cell phone. Everybody starts texting or calling one another, using mobile devices as a way to bridge the communication gap that was suddenly created by a global lack of internet access. Everyone calls everyone else all at the same time, and overload whatever cellular systems hadn't already been taken out with the World Wide Web Crash. So now there's no internet, and no cell phone.

People again switch tools, and move to land lines. But there are far fewer land lines than cell phones. Indeed, many households with four cell phones have at most two separate land lines. Half the calls that would have been made on a cell phone never get made at all. Lines form at the telephone booths, riots ensue, communication breaks down, and progress suffers. The world hits a standstill.

Meanwhile, the Storm Worm hacks its way into the government's nuclear facilities, and launches on the Russians.

John Connor: "Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?"
The Terminator: "Because SkyNet knows the Russian counter-attack will eliminate its enemies over here."

So, if the net went down, what would happen? People would turn to cell phones, then turn to land lines, and then turn to the window and squint at the mushroom clouds.

Have you heard of the Storm Worm? It's a virus that is subtly spreading through cyberspace. It gets into your computer through an infected link, and once it's in, gains control over your system. It has very few noticeable symptoms. That means that your computer could be infected right now, and you wouldn't even know it.

Apparently, thousands and thousands of computers are already affected, and there's no way to stop the Storm Worm from spreading to thousands more. All the computers infected make up a network that gives incredible power to whoever is orchestrating this whole thing, because all those computers can be used to run programs, send files, visit websites, and do pretty much anything the virus' creator wants. So far, however, very little has been done with Storm Worm computers, which is why they're so hard to find. A few web sites have been attacked, including one aimed at describing exactly how the Storm Worm works, but that's been about it.

In Terminator 3, a virus spread throughout the internet, infecting computers with itself. It turned out that a powerful U.S. government system called SkyNet had become self-aware, and was using the virus to gain control over every computer and machine it could.

People theorize that the Storm Worm's owner will only use his power when his network of infected PCs reaches into the hundreds of millions. What if the owner is SkyNet? What if AI has already emerged? And Judgment Day is today, 6 hours from now?