The realistic picture
A major cyberattack or IT failure rarely lasts weeks, but it can mean days without card payments, ATMs, gas stations or medical appointments. In 2021, a ransomware attack shut down the Colonial Pipeline in the US and caused lines and gas shortages along the East Coast. And scams spike after every incident.
Before
- Cash in small bills for at least a week of basic expenses, kept in two places.
- Paper: key phone numbers, prescriptions, insurance policies, account numbers and a copy of your ID.
- Backups of your photos and files: three copies, on two different media, one away from home.
- Recovery codes for your important accounts, printed and kept with your documents.
- Your car's tank above half and your area's map ready.
- A radio: it works even when the internet doesn't.
During
- Get information from radio and official channels. Don't trust screenshots or forwarded messages.
- Distrust any message asking for data, passwords or payments to "fix" the problem, even if it looks like your bank. Call the official number yourself.
- Avoid unnecessary trips if transit or traffic lights fail.
- If you depend on a medical device or appointments, agree a paper plan B with your doctor.
Afterwards
Check your bank transactions, change passwords if the attack hit a service you use, and turn on two-step verification.