Microsoft’s Brad Smith – the Cyber‑Warrior Who’s Got a Point About “Stockpiled Vulnerabilities”
Quick recap: A nasty cyber‑attack kicked off last Friday in London, now sweeping 200,000 computers across 150 countries. When Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, Brad Smith, drops the big news bomb, he’s not just angry – he’s shouting a warning at the world’s governments.
What Crazy Thing Happened
- Think about a warrior’s arsenal – the US military’s Tomahawk missiles, only this time the “missiles” are software bugs.
- According to the Europol chief, the latest breach has hit more than 200,000 devices. That’s like a digital avalanche, only you can’t hide from it.
- Financial fallout? So far, attackers have cashed in roughly £25,000 in Bitcoin, but the numbers are set to spike as victims scramble to pay their way out.
- The cost estimate is a wild guess at the moment – a ballpark of hundreds of millions of dollars is projected.
Brad Smith’s Power‑Packed Blog Post
Smith didn’t mince words on Microsoft’s blog:
“This attack shows why governments store vulnerabilities like a secret vault,” he wrote, drawing a line to the NSA and CIA leaks that have flooded the internet in the past.
He compared the disaster to an “unintended but disconcerting link” between nation‑state actors and organized crime. In plain English, it’s the difference between a terrorist and a cannabis‑cooking club – both throwing trouble, but one is in real life.
“Treat this as a wake‑up call: the rules we follow in the physical world for weapons should apply to cyberspace, too,” he cautioned.
Why It’s So Crappy
- Governments “stockpiling” vulnerabilities is a ticking time‑bomb – if it slips to the wrong hands, everyone pays the price.
- Whenever the CIA or NSA leaks get onto WikiLeaks, the WordPress-style panic starts.
- Organized crime like to buy the “booter” – cracked binaries that break everyone’s UI – and this month’s hit proves how easily there’s a black market for bugs.
What’s Next?
Workforces are heading back to the office; tech‑companies are opening the floodgates to investigate the damage. The real cost – both monetary and in public trust – is still a mystery. Stay tuned, because the numbers are bound to rise fast.
Bottom line: Brad Smith urges all governments to do a U‑turn and treat vulnerability stockpiles like spare missile ammo – you wouldn’t want that in your pocket.
