I remember being at a Barbecue on a Saturday evening in July 2017 and I got asked by a friend who doesn’t work in Information Technology – what is ransomware?
It was around the first time that I can remember that cyberattacks became common knowledge. Everyday users would have heard about cyber risks but this was the first time they listened.
What we witnessed was on an event unprecedented scale – shipping, logistics, healthcare and many more sectors taken out within minutes.
The events of this weekend albeit vastly different had major economic and social impact.
It also served as a reminder of how technology has become a limb we cant operate without.
As the first reports started coming in from my colleagues in Australia it soon became evident we were witnessing an international event. But one the scale of which none of us would have imagined.
As we learnt over the weekend, it took a faulty update to grind the world to a halt. I remember taking a look at the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center Advisories that evening (US morning) and how the top 3 airlines were notifying the FAA about Halting All Operations.
Lastly, my heart goes out to all the impacted users and the responders at the vendor and the partners who without doubt will be burning the midnight oil to get systems online, people back home, de-risk lives and livelihood and discover better solutions for the road ahead
Security Bytes 