As more smart devices with weak or no security connect to the internet, the world will become more exposed to attacks like the ransomware that hit Britain’s NHS, suggests Hannah Bryce, Assistant Head, International Security at the think-tank Chatham House.
The recent global ransomware attack, which affected organizations around the world including Britain’s National Health Service, was the first real illustration for many people of the scale and physical consequences a cyber attack might present. Criminal hackers exploited a flaw in ‘retired’ Microsoft software, which is not routinely updated and patched for security, to infect computers with the WannaCry ransomware.
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The recent cyber ransomware attack provides important opportunities for learning—really relearning—lessons about how to secure cyber networks. But first, it is important to separate what is known about the attacks from the hard truths about global cyber preparedness, writes Daniel M Gerstein on the blog of the policy research body RAND Corporation.
