Internet Under Attack

Future assaults on web systems could affect teens

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Brinleigh Mudd

Sophomores Gracey Szwedkowicz and Chastity Foote focused on their phones and social media in the library. Big Sky students’ internet use could be affected by cyber attacks.

On May 12, 2017, a cyber-attack was launched by an unknown source against 72 countries in Europe and Asia. Not only was this attack against these countries but against the world. Such hacking puts Big Sky students at risk as well, due to the nine hour average amount of time that teens spend on the internet per day.

The cyber-attack crippled multiple systems using ransomware. Ransomware is a type of virus that encrypts information until a set amount of money is paid and transferred to the perpetrator. The virus had been reported to shut down phone lines, cancel appointments, and other miscellaneous things, but was not reported to have collected or seen any patient data.

The attack also hit Britain’s National Health Service and reportedly 16 other NHS facilities but British Prime Minister Theresa May said that it did not appear to be the target and was just coincidence that so many facilities had been attacked.
Though this was shocking news, cyber-attacks are not abnormal and happen on a daily basis. Most are combated by certain groups such as the National Security Agency or other groups that specialize in subduing attacks before they happen.

But what made this attack stand out was the type of ransomware that was used. Previously stolen from the NSA in 2016 and leaked by a group who are known as “The Shadow Brokers,” this extremely valuable and sophisticated piece of software was most likely bid and sold to buyers who wished to use it to do harm.

In an age such as today where computers and the internets are only a few decades old, it is harder to combat threats that are so advanced and quick due to the lack of systems, funding, skill, and advancements it takes to deal with them. The NSA is one of the few government groups that can combat them in the U.S. and due to the small availability of them.

This makes the internet either an extremely valuable asset or a very dangerous tool that affects nearly. Not everybody is comfortable with that.
Students at Big Sky have to face their feelings on the internet’s ability to control everyday life.

Senior Halle Miller shares her thoughts on the matter. “I use the internet a lot. I’d die without the internet.”

But even to someone who uses the internet this much, Miller said it’s still a scary thing that it can control everyday life as much as it does.

She’s not the only one who shares these concerns. Junior Evan Batt has mixed feelings. “On one hand it can bring unity to all, but it removes privacy at the same time.”

Unfortunately, most students have yet to even hear of the cyber-attack. Both Miller and Batt had yet to hear of the Cyber-attack until a few days past the event. Luckily for the hospitals and other users of the internet, an accidental kill switch was found by a user named MalwareTech and anybody who was on a Windows XP computer that had yet to be infected could download a new patch that Microsoft released in order to protect themselves from the virus. This was the first time since 2014 that Microsoft had patched or even supported XP. Due to both the kill switch and patch, users were reassured a little and able to use vital systems.

Despite that, the future is uncertain and there may not be a kill switch next time so be prepared.