Worm vs world

Worm vs world

WannaCry attack reminds all, it's imperative to improve cyber security architecture.
The digitally networked economy has been transforming the way human beings work and live. It promises a blistering pace of growth in productivity. But this futuristic edifice is built on the premise of secure data flows. Every big breach in data security therefore holds a warning: look before you leap, beware the structural vulnerabilities of the networked world. Events in the US and France suggest that hackers attempting to hijack elections has become the new normal in the West. This week the WannaCry infection threatening around 1.3 million computer systems worldwide has raised even larger red flags about cybercrime assailing individuals and enterprises.
Victims in India reportedly include the Andhra Pradesh police, with the hackers demanding ransom in digital currency bitcoin to restore access to over 100 PCs. The ransomware also affected banks and manufacturing companies. In the UK it was the health service that took a major hit, with NHS doctors losing access to their patients' files. Russia, accused of hacking in the American presidential election, was a victim this time with WannaCry penetrating the railways, interior ministry and one of the largest mobile service providers in the country.
At the end of the 1990s the threat of the millennium bug had impelled a global rehaul of computer systems. Something of that sort may be in order again. As every private and public service is enveloped within the networked economy ¬ including the digital identity system Aadhaar ¬ individuals, corporates and governments must all adopt a zealous approach to security upgrades. Fighting cybercrimes will also require real coordination across international law enforcement agencies. Of course a great irony of the WannaCry attack is that it seems to have metastasized a cyber weapon actually developed by the US National Security Agency. The criminals just got tooled by the cops.
In India the techies are hard at work to shield the country from cyberattacks. As setbacks on the H-1B visa and generally a rising tide of protectionism overhang the Indian IT industry, it should focus on innovating new strategies for resurgence. Developing confident new cybersecurity products in today's anxious environment would surely be one way for the homeboys to rival Silicon Valley.