In stark and certain terms, a Congress-mandated commission Tuesday warned that the world's nations face the threat of a major terrorism attack using biological and nuclear weapons by 2013. The commission's report, titled "The World at Risk," skips over the threat of cyberattacks and focuses almost exclusively on nuclear and biological weapons.

"[Terrorists] are more likely to unleash an aerosol can filled with pathogens than to strike with a nuclear weapon," the report warns.

The 132-page report did not dwell on network security issues and pointedly says that anyone with an Internet connection could "easily obtain designs for building a nuclear bomb." But bomb builders don't have easy access to materials. However, biosciences is a little different: There are concerns that without proper controls, advances in bioscience research could become threats.

The report warns that the life sciences community has not secured access to deadly biological pathogens and does not have sufficient means to combat them. It has no mushroom cloud in its past to illustrate how much damage is possible -- "it has never experienced a comparable iconic event," according to the report.

The commission that prepared the report, headed by former Sens. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.), said that "unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013."

How close is World War 3.0?

Terrorism and technology

The report's message for the technology industry must be read between the lines. Some of its recommendations will likely require new tech capabilities and coordination with the government. But its warnings -- especially its focus on Pakistan -- may only serve to increase concerns outsourcing firms may have about India in the wake of last week's terror attacks in Mumbai.

In regard to new tech capabilities, the report broadly calls for "a new blueprint to prevent biological weapons proliferation and bioterrorism," which includes surveillance and better security and intelligence capabilities, and suggests things such as use of commercial supply chains to develop a speedy response if attacked.

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