Older workers are a secret weapon against cyber attacks
District of Columbia | July 6, 2021
Disruptions from cyber attacks are happening with more frequency. In May, another ransomware attack disabled Colonial Pipeline, which transports 45 per cent of the oil consumed on the east coast of the US. Asked at a senate hearing whether his workforce was able to operate the pipeline manually, Colonial Pipeline’s chief executive Joseph Blount said that a lot of the people who once operated the pipeline by hand are “retiring or they’re gone.” Workers over 50 are often overlooked in favor of younger workers with more modern skills. Yet as the ransomware attacks have shown, a digital bias has left some companies exposed. Older workers often began their careers before computer systems were introduced. By acknowledging their under-appreciated expertise of manual operations, economies would be better equipped to withstand disruption from cyber attacks and natural disasters such as earthquakes, heatwaves or flooding…
(Excerpts from Financial Times)