Abstract
While it may not be the first target one might think of when it comes to cyberattacks, a recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on the Vatican’s official website only proves that cyberattacks can potentially influence any organization. Let’s consider the situation, as well as what lessons we can all take away from it.
On November 30th, the Vatican’s Assorted Websites Were Taken Offline
Widely suspected to be a response to the Pope’s comments regarding Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Holy See reported that “abnormal access attempts” had taken down the Vatican’s official website and the various other sites that the Church maintains.
It took a few hours to restore these sites’ accessibility, but this is far from the only example of cybercrime targeting the Vatican. Around mid-2020, Chinese hackers were accused of infiltrating the Vatican’s internal network before negotiations began between a deal was to be struck between the two. In 2019, the Church released an app to assist users track their prayers called “Rosary,” which was hacked within fifteen minutes of it going live (fortunately by a security researcher), revealing some serious privacy flaws.
If the Catholic Church Can Be Hacked, So Can Your Business
When you consider the 2022 budget for the Church came out to around $887 million, it’s hard to imagine that there wasn’t some room for some cybersecurity. While we have no way to confirm how much of an investment the Vatican actually makes into their cybersecurity, one would imagine that it should have been sufficient to protect their infrastructure and websites. However, it clearly was not sufficient, but the Vatican has reportedly taken steps to remedy this.
The thing is, the Vatican has the capability to bounce back from these attacks…can you say the same about your business? Dollars to doughnuts is that the Vatican has significantly more resources available than you do. This makes it all the more important that you’re properly investing in your cybersecurity to help keep your business safe.
NetMGM can help you shape your business’ protections to do just that. Give us a call at 888-748-2525 to ensure that you’re ready to resist cyberattacks of all kinds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rafiq Masri
With over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, Rafiq is one of the most accomplished, versatile and certified engineer in the field. He has spent the past 2 ½ decades administering and supporting a wide range of clients and has helped position Network Management, Inc. as a leader in the IT Managed Services space.
Rafiq has built a reputation for designing, building and supporting top notch IT infrastructures to match the business objectives and goals of his clients.
Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and reliability, Rafiq has a very loyal client base with some customer relationships dating back 20+ years.
Rafiq holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has completed graduate programs in Software Engineering and Business at Harvard and George Mason University. Rafiq is a former founder and CEO of Automation, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as a valued speaker on entrepreneurship and technology at industry events such as ExpoTech and others.