The Human Toll: Examining The Impact Of Breaches On The Public

Innovation The Human Toll: Examining The Impact Of Breaches On The Public David Stapleton Forbes Councils Member Forbes Technology Council COUNCIL POST Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based) May 27, 2022, 08:15am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin David Stapleton is CISO at CyberGRX , where we are modernizing third-party cyber risk management with a data-centered approach.

getty The world is in need of a reminder that the detrimental impacts of cyberattacks are not felt solely by faceless corporate behemoths. Cyberattacks affect real people every day. Yet, the impact on these individuals is rarely our focus.

Society — and major media outlets — remain fixated on the consequences for business (e. g. , dips in stock price, loss of brand deals or partnerships and leadership changes).

But the impact on human lives is often found below the fold, if at all, and rarely brought to light. The repercussions on real people were recently felt in a cyberattack against the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a humanitarian organization working for the benefit of millions. The result: leaked data estimated to impact over half a million people, many of whom were already vulnerable due to conflict and disaster-induced relocation.

Adding insult to injury, the ICRC had to temporarily shut down systems that were associated with its Restoring Family Links program, which works to reunite families separated due to conflict or disaster. Immediate talking points became centered around how the hackers stole troves of sensitive data and debates on whether or not nation-state actors were behind the attack. This regrettably common reaction missed the big picture: Missing persons relying on the Red Cross are unable to be reunited with their families, and releasing the data stolen from this attack could jeopardize the safety of hundreds of thousands of individuals, including detainees and missing persons, given that the hackers stole data pertaining to their locations.

This is what should be motivating us to act and defend against attacks, not corporate-related consequences. The Human Impact Of Breaches As you’re undoubtedly aware, 2021 was rife with major cyberattacks. The Colonial Pipeline attack caused panic buying of gasoline.

The ransomware attack on JBS, a meat processing company, caused fears of food shortages. Baltimore County Public Schools had to stop instruction for two days due to another ransomware attack. Additionally, a cyberattack against Greater Baltimore Medical Center , a prominent health system in Maryland, caused disruptions to their services​​ — resulting in delayed procedures and impacting hospice care.

MORE FOR YOU Google Issues Warning For 2 Billion Chrome Users Forget The MacBook Pro, Apple Has Bigger Plans Google Discounts Pixel 6, Nest & Pixel Buds In Limited-Time Sale Event Although each of these attacks caused these organizations to take a financial or reputational hit, that doesn’t account for the true impact. The biggest consequences lie beneath the surface. To elevate our understanding of the human toll that cyberattacks and data breaches bring, we should, collectively, work to shift the narrative.

What about the person who became stranded in the middle of nowhere because they weren’t able to find gasoline at any stations? The families who felt the additional squeeze while buying groceries as prices skyrocketed due to shortages? When schools close, what about the parent who had to choose between a paycheck or providing care to their child? We must make the effort to learn about and tell their stories. As humans, we’re adept at adjusting to our surroundings, and unfortunately, we’re being inundated with stories of data breaches and cyberattacks, contributing to “cybersecurity fatigue. ” However, cyberattacks aren’t going away anytime soon.

But, we can’t allow the seemingly continuous barrage of negative cybersecurity news to convince us to stop fighting. We can’t let our security guardrails down and must remain resilient. Although cyber threats may be here to stay, we can resist apathy by better socializing the true human impact.

When all of us are paying attention, we can lessen the likelihood and impact of attacks with appropriate cyber awareness and defense. The Trickle-Up Effect Fortunately, as a whole, the federal government recognizes that cybersecurity needs to extend beyond public agencies and organizations and address the general population. One of the most notable initiatives to recently come from the government is the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act (ACLA).

The ACLA’s primary focus is on “ educating the American public ” and is an excellent first step to increasing our individual readiness toward thwarting cyberattacks. Cyberattacks are problematic in any industry, but when we’re thinking of critical infrastructures — like our power grids — the impact on individuals can be catastrophic. Consider this: Electricity goes out across an entire town, region or nation.

If this occurs during the winter, or if you live in a particularly cold environment, that means no heat. It’s easy to connect the dots on how far-reaching the consequences on human lives can be. Additionally, identity-based attacks have become a frequent occurrence .

This is an area where we’ll truly feel the positive impact of the ACLA, which focuses on the identity-based threats facing individuals, such as phishing attacks, as well as security controls like multifactor authentication (MFA), which every person should have in place to improve their personal cyber hygiene. What makes the ACLA unique is its focus on American citizens. However, there’s a major benefit for corporations here too.

A byproduct of fostering a more educated and cyber-aware population is that it will have a trickle-up effect on our businesses. If an individual fully understands the signs of phishing in their personal life, they’ll carry that knowledge over to their place of business. So, the next time a data breach hits the news, I would encourage you to look past the numbers and think of the people who are impacted.

Just as importantly, however, individuals should work to increase their own cybersecurity awareness and education to stop a cyberattack in its tracks. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? Follow me on LinkedIn .

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