“A defective update to an obscure piece of security software knocked out security systems around the globe Friday, causing widespread disruptions to travel, medical care and businesses of all stripes while revealing in stunning fashion the fragility of a world economy on shared technology.” That lead sentence from a Washington Post story summarizes the danger we face from potential and actual enemies. Suppose an unintended software glitch can produce such havoc.
How much more damage, danger and destruction could totalitarian states such as China, Iran, North Korea and Russia do should they choose to do so? Most flights were grounded because of the software glitch. Surgeries were delayed. Bank ATMs and other services were affected.
Things seemed to be restored to normal rather quickly (except for Delta Air Lines, which continues to have problems days after the incident), but this should be a sign and a warning of potentially worse things to come if we are unprepared. This was supposedly an accident. But what if it, or something worse, had been deliberate? Cyberattacks from space are potential threats as China and Russia ramp up their space programs.
They are not coming “in peace for all mankind,” as the plaque left on the moon by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin over 50 years ago stated. Three months ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray called the threat “incredibly serious,” but he also claimed many successes in combating cyber threats, especially those inv.