People from all over the world get most of their news from media outlets. When a cybersecurity threat is on the news, people automatically think if their data has been compromised or not. However, the media has been known to under or over emphasize events that have occurred. This causes people to question the media and how it influences people’s mindsets.
Media and Cybersecurity
As cyberattacks are on the rise, cybersecurity is following parallel to the attacks. More sophisticated attacks are coming out daily. One of the most sophisticated attacks would be the WannaCry ransomware in 2017. The ransomware would target Windows-based operating systems by encrypting data stored on the hard drive. The ransomware can also be called a network worm in which it can spread itself over the network automatically. Media outlets would spread the word of the ransomware targeting businesses, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure. Marcus Hutchins, a cybersecurity researcher, would stop the ransomware in its tracks by reverse engineering it. The media would praise Marcus Hutchins. The ransomware was contacting a non-existent domain. Hutchins would stop the ransomware by registering a domain online that the ransomware was contacting. This domain being online was the kill switch. In this example, the media would praise Hutchins for being a genius even though there was a simple solution to the problem.
The media portrays cybersecurity as a complex field and it is. However, there are simple solutions that can take place which might seem complicated even though it is not. This shows that the media can over-hype or under-hype situations in the cybersecurity realm.
