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In his seventh ‘day’ of non-stop action, the gravelly-voiced superhero of Fox’s addictive drama faces an especially tall order. The chief engineer of the government’s infrastructure security system is kidnapped by a grassroots terrorist group seeking to take control of the nation’s telecommunication, transportation, power grids…. Makes for good television, but could any of it really happen?

To get a reality check, we contacted Dr. Stephen Flynn, former homeland security adviser to the Clinton administration and currently a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In his must-read books America the Vulnerable and The Edge of Disaster, Flynn pinpoints America’s real-life security vulnerabilities with frightening clarity. We went through the current season of 24 with Flynn plot device by plot device to get his judgments on what’s bogus and what’s legitimate.  (Hint: terror attacks against infrastructure are a real concern–but be more worried about hydro-electric dams than airplanes.) He also explains how the show might actually be undermining a key aspect of public safety.

On 24: Major elements of the national infrastructure are controlled by centralized software systems that are vulnerable to hackers.

In reality: There is a glimmer of truth here. Says Flynn: “It’s true that the infrastructure systems we take for granted are increasingly managed as cyber networks. That is a built-in vulnerability if somebody can get access to one of them.” But, he adds, the extent to which these systems are centrally controlled is vastly overplayed on the show. The real system is a patchwork of local networks. “I mean, the DHS has had a hell of a time just inventorying what it has.”

On 24: It’s possible for a terrorist to hack into the national air traffic control system, take the whole thing over and hold hundreds of airborne planes hostage.

In reality: The product of a screenwriter’s overheated imagination. Flynn describes the air traffic control network as an improvised hodgepodge with sections literally dating back to the days of vacuum tubes. “If you try to do harm to a system like this, which is not all that well connected, you’re only going to take a little piece,” he says. “I’m just not worried about it.” The cyberattack scenarios that he finds most realistic and frightening involve hydro-electric dams, pipelines, and the electric grid. “Anyone who could get inside those networks could cause some real mischief,” he says. The potential threats could involve flooding, chemical spills, and mass power outages.

On 24: There is someone with the job title of Chief Engineer of Infrastructure Security Systems who is in charge of protecting all the critical infrastructure in the U.S.

In reality: This position is likely a composite–though if he did exist in the the real world, Michael Latham would report to the Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection. “One would hope that the technical responsibility for security doesn’t lie in the hands of one individual, but rather is compartmentalized and then overseen by the assistant secretary,” says Richard Bennet, a national securities researcher at CFR.

On 24: There is something called the CIP Firewall that protects all the nation’s key infrastructure.

In reality: Put this in the category of ludicrous but fruitful plot devices.

On 24: The American population is generally clueless about the threats that play out among them, but the risk of mass hysteria is so grave that the government can’t say anything about what’s going on.

In reality: Well, this pretty much reflects the message sent to Americans by the Bush administration, according to Flynn. “They embraced this whole 24-style story line, in which the American people are helpless against the threats. The mentality is, they just need to pray that people as nimble and capable as Jack Bauer are around to keep them safe.” This is a security threat in its own right, in Flynn’s opinion. He makes the case that an informed and engaged citizenry is one of the best homeland security measures available. “You’ve got to give people something to do,” he suggests.

Will this attitude change with the new administration? Stay tuned…