Cyber Attacks Are Getting Worse for Business
BigTech’s failed response to the worst bugs in modern history reinforced the roadmap used to redirect accountability and perpetuate cybersecurity inequity.
In January 2021, Microsoft knowingly left customers exposed to an active cyber attack for at least two months while it fixed flaws in its Exchange software. A month earlier, SolarWinds admitted that an attacker was actively victimizing customers using malicious code that had be inserted into its software ten months prior. Despite the substantial harm caused by each event, the power the companies wield over customers will likely help them deflect significant accountability and reinforce a system of privilege that is steadily eroding global cyber defenses.
There are many other examples, but one 2018 disclosure serves as a foundational case study in cybersecurity inequity. It was then, six months after discovering the worst computer bugs in history, that a secret response effort coordinated across seven technology industry titans collapsed catastrophically a week sooner than planned. Its failure to effectively shield technology customers from harm clearly exposed a system of privilege that continues to stymie hardware and software supply chain security today.
