PEORIA MAGAZINE April 2022

ARE WE READY FOR CYBERWAR? Good cyber hygiene is the best way to protect ourselves, others

BY MIKE BAILEY

W hen cus tomer s of Metamora-basedMTCO Communications lost Internet service for three days at the end of February – the author of this piece among them – “it’s the Russians” may have been the first blush reaction of more than a few. Tobesure, Russian tankswerecrossing the Ukrainian border at about that same time, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin was voicing no end of threats against theWest in retaliation for the sanctions leveled against his nation, but ultimately it was a severed fiber optic cable in the Chicago area — not Russian hackers — that was the guilty party. If there were any doubts about just how dependent many of us are on the Internet – whether a remote employee who suddenly found it impossible to

“The threat is very real,” said David Scuffham , Director of Information Security at Bradley University, a viewed echoed by colleague Jacob Young , Director of BU’s Center for CyberSecurity. “Our increasing reliance on technology and just-in-time inventory puts us at considerable risk due to the impact that disruptions can have on the supply chain,” said Young. “The Internet has allowed small nations that would never be able to wage conventional war to inf lict tremendous damage with unlimited reach across the globe. “While the Cold War was largely held in check by the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, I don’t believe we can expect that same level of restraint when it comes to cyberattacks.”

work from home or a restaurant unable to take credit card payments — they were dispelled in those three days. And though it all endedwell, any sigh of relief may be short-lived. Indeed, ransomware attacks have become a fact of life, as we saw with the Colonial Pipeline hack that resulted in significant fuel shortages and rising prices at the pump in 2021 . We’re not immune here in the middle of America, however far away the keyboard terrorists may be. Last year, a cyberattack potentially compromised the data of nearly 54,000 OSF HealthCare patients. Meanwhile, there has been much handwringing over the possibility of a cyber-assault on the nation’s power grid, which could prove catastrophic, economically and otherwise.

56 APRIL 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE