Opinion: Hacked or nuked – your choice

“Oh dear, my computer got hacked and I’ll have to re-install Windows.”

“Oh dear, my house got nuked and I’ll have to bury my family.”

Can we have a quick online poll to see which of the above scenarios poses the greatest threat? No need to vote? Didn’t think so. Isn’t it about time the rest of the world stood up to these techno-terrorists? And we’re not talking about the dudes who try to hack into the world’s systems. We’re talking about the techie dweebs who look after all this stuff and somehow believe that what happens to one of their toys really matters more than what happens to real people. They really need to get out more. Or get out sometimes. Or maybe get out for the first time.

Yeah, OK, if somebody hacks your hospital and turns off all the monitors in the ICU ward, maybe there’s a real threat to actual life and limb, but then, which techie dweeb was it that thought it was a good idea to put all the ICU monitors online and accessible to hackers in the first place? Same goes for the threats to “critical infrastructure” from hackers. If your stuff is so critical that it can create actual bodily harm when hacked, then don’t put it where it can be hacked! Hey, admit it, you only put it online in the first place so you could save money by sacking the guy who used to have a real job monitoring your critical infrastructure.

As usual, the main threats NATO is talking about are to the piles of cash in their member countries’ banks. So maybe there’s more chance their bank will get hacked instead of hijacked. Boo-hoo. The real world is still, rightly, far more worried about a missile coming through their windows than they are about a hacker getting into their Windows.