What the COVID-19 pandemic teaches us about cybersecurity – and how to prepare for the inevitable global cyberattack

Article on the risks of a “cyber-pandemic” specifically with regards to how the world is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The article discusses three flaws/risks in the current system. First off, a cyberattack that acts in the same way as a traditional disease would spread to many more machines and much quicker than a biological virus would. The author makes reference to previous attacks, including the 2003 Slammer/Sapphire worm and the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, pointing out that a future cyberattack would most likely use a zero day exploit. Secondly, a cyberattack of this magnitude would result in the shutdown of millions of devices, leading to a greater economic loss than the current pandemic: “A single day without the internet would cost the world more than $50 billion”. Lastly, even if it was possible for devices to “recover”, the amount of new devices needed would greatly outnumber the current manufacturing ability. The author also mentions that tensions over the source of the attack, as well as the desire for new machines would lead to a rise in global political tensions. The world needs to expect a cyberattack to happen in the near future and requires the public and private sector to work together to both prepare and respond to such an attack. The author also identifies a “digital roll-back” as a way to avoid potential damage by shifting away from technology in some scenarios and ensuring physical access to sensitive and/or important information.