Release Date: July 19, 2024
While this isn’t a cybersecurity attack, our reliance on vendor-supplied software poses its own set of risks, Sellitto says.
Dominic Sellitto
Clinical Assistant Professor of Management Science and Systems
University at Buffalo School of Management
Sellitto is an expert in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, information assurance, digital forensics and information technology (IT) management.
According to Sellitto, the issue being faced widespread appears to be due to a faulty software update that happened sometime overnight:
“It’s tempting to look at this and think that it feels a lot like a cybersecurity attack. While it appears that it isn’t, the impact may be seen as no less damaging,” says Sellitto. “The goal of many attacks is to halt business operations. In this case, business operations were brought to a halt, it’s just that the intent was not malicious. Ultimately, the cost equation to businesses and consumers doesn’t care much about the motivation of these things — impact is impact.”
Sellitto says the good news is twofold:
“The big takeaway for organizations is to make sure that they conduct inventories of their widely deployed software, and make sure that auto-updates are kept to a bare minimum,” says Sellitto. “Most IT organizations have a rigorous testing cycle internally that happens with things like Windows updates to ensure this sort of thing doesn’t happen. I think many organizations are going to be extending this process in light of this event.”
To schedule an interview with Professor Sellitto, contact Kevin Manne, assistant director of communications, at 716-645-5238 or kjmanne@buffalo.edu.
Now in its 100th year, the UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit management.buffalo.edu.
Contact
Kevin Manne
Associate Director of Communications
School of Management
716-645-5238
kjmanne@buffalo.edu