Even if that hasn’t happened – yet – the skirmishes are already here, and they’re causing real damage. An estimate by Cybersecurity Ventures – again, an industry source, so take it with a nugget of salt – suggests that cybercrime in 2021 will cause damages of $6 trillion on the global economy (enough to make it, by value, the third-largest economy in the world). And it can only get worse, as Wired magazine explained in 2019 – and, indeed, it’s only gotten worse since then... Not “if”... but “when.” Because cyberattacks – on infrastructure, on databases, on companies, on you – are getting worse... and it’s happening right now. The U.S. and other world powers still haven’t realized that they have more to lose in an exchange of scorched-earth cyberattacks than to gain. Until they do, the cyberwar machine will roll onward, with nothing less than the infrastructure of modern civilization in its destructive path. At this point it’s even unclear which would be worse: The “real shooting war,” or the cyberattack that precedes, or causes, or comes after it. DO THIS NOW There are a few things you can do to prepare if – when – it happens. For starters (you know
this, but anyway), use strong – and different, across devices and websites – passwords. Never keep the default password (but you don’t, do you?). Keep your devices up to date, so that you have recent security updates and patches installed. Back up your files (everywhere – the cloud, a removable hard drive, a thumb drive you keep around your neck). Even better, encrypt it... It’s not that difficult and it could save you a lot of grief. Download and save (and, if you’re really old school, print out) information like bank statements. Have a hard copy of important phone numbers. Those fun Facebook quizzes that ask you the name of the street where you grew up... your first pet’s name... where you met your spouse... It’s interesting how similar those are to the security questions that your bank asks you online to confirm that it’s you, isn’t it? Keep your personal information to yourself . And IT administrators: Train your users with more than all-caps warnings. Launch fake phishing attacks so that employees know what to look out for. Try to trick your own people – and if they don’t fall for it, chances are they’ll be better equipped to sniff out the real thing if it happens. Not “if ”... but “when.” Because cyberattacks – on infrastructure, on databases, on companies, on you – are getting worse... and it’s happening right now.
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September 2021
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