The question is no longer if the blackout will come, but when – and only with robust cybersecurity will it be possible to meet the challenge
The growing dependence on interconnected digital systems has transformed cyber infrastructure into one of the fundamental pillars of the global economy. However, this connectivity has also revealed critical vulnerabilities. According to an IBM report, in 2023, the average cost of a data leak reached a record $4.45 million, reinforcing the financial impact of errors and hacker attacks.
In recent years, the world has witnessed a series of incidents damaging to companies and users. In July, a flaw in one of CrowdStrike’s security systems affected 8.5 million computers worldwide. In 2022, the attack on the Colonial Pipeline in the United States paralyzed a significant part of the operations of the country’s largest pipeline network, interrupting the supply of fuel and generating a temporary crisis.
Incidents like these, as well as causing billions in financial losses, compromise personal and strategic information, highlighting the urgency of robust cybersecurity strategies. The question now is no longer whether a collapse will occur, but when and how organizations are preparing to reduce the impacts of the next cyber blackout.
“Cyber ‘blackouts’ not only put business operations at risk, but also expose governments to vulnerabilities, interrupting critical services and compromising sensitive data,” says Guilherme Barbosa, Systems Engineer at Unentel, a distributor of technological solutions for the B2B market. The expert warns that ransomware attacks and failures in critical systems, such as CrowdStrike, can trigger real global blackouts if they are not combated with robust cybersecurity approaches.
To meet this challenge, preventive measures are urgently needed. With digitalization, the global economy has come to rely heavily on cloud computing, concentrating on a dwindling number of service providers; but diversifying technology providers reduces dependence on a single point of failure, while creating incident response plans ensures that, in the event of an attack, operations can be resumed quickly.
In addition, investment in advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence to detect anomalies and improved encryption systems, are essential for protecting sensitive data. Continuous team training is fundamental, ensuring that employees are trained to identify and deal with threats, implementing effective cybersecurity practices.
“Diversifying suppliers and adopting robust incident response plans are the first actions companies and governments should take to mitigate the impacts of a cyber blackout. Although the risk is concrete, the severity can be significantly minimized with an efficient exchange of information and an agile response to large-scale attacks,” Guilherme concludes.