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Worried about ‘WannaCry’? You should have listened to Julian Assange
The
Wikileaks founder warned the world to update its digital security
systems. He was ignored and this is the result.
Adam
Garrie
13
May, 2017
A
widespread computer virus attack known as ‘WannaCry’ has been
compromising computers with obsolete operating systems across the
world.
This
should be the opening sentence of just about every article on this
subject, but unfortunately it is not.
The
virus does not attack modern computer operating systems, it is
designed to attack the Windows XP operating system that is so old, it
was likely used in offices in the World Trade Center prior to
September 11 2001, when the buildings collapsed. Windows XP was first
released on 25 August, 2001.
A
child born on the release date of Windows XP is now on the verge of
his or her 17th birthday. Feeling old yet?
The
fact of the matter is that governments and businesses around the
world should not only feel old, they should feel humiliated and
disgraced.
With
the amount of money governments tax individuals and private entities,
it is beyond belief that government organisations ranging from some
computers in the Russian Interior Ministry to virtually all computers
in Britain’s National Health Service, should be using an operating
system so obsolete that its manufacturer, Microsoft, no longer
supports it and hasn’t done for some time.
Perhaps
in order to save money, governments should also use prop-planes from
the 1940s to conduct recon missions?
The
scathing reality of this attack is that Julian Assange warned both
private and public sectors to be on guard against known
vulnerabilities in such systems, vulnerabilities Wikileaks helped to
expose. Assange even offered to help companies to get their digital
security up to date.
The
fact that Assange’s plea fell on deaf ears must bring further shame
to all those impacted by the ‘WannaCry’ attacks who refused to
listen to Assange and get with the times.
As
it is, the technology used in the hacking/malware incident was
created by America’s National Security Agency (NSA).
World
famous whistle-blower Edward Snowden had something to say about that,
If NSA builds a weapon to attack Windows XP—which Microsoft refuses to patches—and it falls into enemy hands, should NSA write a patch?
The
fact is that, if only governments and mega-corporations took
precautions to ensure actual safety measures were in place, rather
than engaging in bogus fear-mongering in order to conceal their own
incompetence and lack of modern technology, the people that such
bodies are supposed to protect would be safe rather than misled and
exposed to threats.
The
blame for today’s attack can and should be equally shared by the
hackers themselves and by those who patently ignored the warnings of
Julian Assange, who advised the wider world to get clever, get secure
and get modern upon the release of Vault 7 by Wikileaks.
When
there is a wolf at your door, it is unwise to blame the person
pointing out the presence of the hungry wolf. Those who attack Julian
Assange for pointing out the wolf of un-secured computer systems are
doing just that.
In
real democracies, people would be brought before tribunals to justify
their supreme dereliction of duty. In the apathetic corporatist
liberal west, the story will be swept under the rug.
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