Dell, the computing industry giant has been in the tech game for a very long time, and to see them make an actual mistake, especially when it comes to security can be very surprising. It wasn’t too long ago that they did make a serious mistake that anyone with an information security degree could have seen coming from a mile away. As you probably know, Dell has been manufacturing computers for many years and one of its most important products has been the “Dell Backup and Recovery Application”. If you are not familiar with it, it is simply a program that allows customers to restore their data and computer to factory condition. In other words, if there is a problem with the device, the backup and recovery application can aid in returning the device to its original state and get the user back on their feet. While this is a great concept, it is all dependent upon their domain working properly.
A Cyber Security Nightmare – Dell’s Domain Seized
The domain associated with the backup software, DellBackupandRecoveryCloudStorage.com was taken from Dell for a period of one month and summarily exposed to content that could have posed a problem to the users. To fully understand this, you need to know what the software was actually intended for. Essentially, there is a basic version that is pre-installed on all systems and will allow users to reinstall a backup image of the factory installation. If the domain it relies on were to ever fall into the wrong hands it would be a disaster, which is precisely what happened. During the time that domain as out of Dell’s hands, it is believed that malicious software was uploaded to many Dell PCs, causing a serious security risk.
How it Happened
To put it lightly, SoftThinks.com, the backup and imaging solutions provider that Dell outsources this service to is being tight-lipped about HOW the domain got away from them, but anyone who has basic information technology security certification has a simple theory: they let the domain expire. From June to July 2017, the domain was owned by TeamInternet.com, and after they lost control of the domain, it began showing up in malware alerts.
In the end, we’re not going to know exactly what happened or why, but we do know that this alerts us to the need for proper cyber security across a wide variety of industries. If even Dell can fall victim to human error, we can see that absolutely nothing is perfect. While this is essentially just a silly (and deadly) mistake, it could have been prevented with more diligence and with proper cybersecurity. As you can see, cyber security and information security aren’t all about stopping hackers from launching large-scale attacks, but it is often human error and accountability issues that cause the greatest catastrophes. This is something that you are going to learn all about in computer and information technology training.
The IT industry is interesting, to say the least, there are plenty of stories just like the one that happened with Dell. What kind of stories are you going to be involved in and what kind of solutions are you going to implement? From commercial companies to information technology in Homeland security, there is a space for everyone to make their mark and most importantly, make a difference.
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