Amber Alert developers have a solution for cyberattacks
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
“It isn’t only a good idea to have an Amber Alert for organizations and businesses in the event of a cyber attack, this solution for cyber attacks already exists.” That is what Amber Alert founder and Netpresenter’s CEO Frank Hoen says. Hoen said this in response to a call by cybersecurity experts on national TV to deploy an Amber Alert, a national missing child alert, in case of a cyber attack like the recent WannaCry ransomware.
“We are using this technology for years now”, says Hoen. “Companies can also inform their employees and customers right away in case of an emergency with the same software. This way prevents a lot of damage.”
The method is identical. Alert messages can be spread in a flash by PC, laptop, tablet, mobile phone or TV screens.
The Netpresenter software can help you share short instruction messages in the event of a cyber attack. Hoen: “It basically works like an Amber Alert for missing children. A striking alert message is issued with just one push of a button. This way, employees and customers know right away what they should do and, more importantly, what they really shouldn’t. You can cause unrepairable damage, just by clicking on a wrong link or mail containing malware.”
Hoen also finds that companies do too little in this area. This is unfortunate, because the next cyber attack can be even larger and more destructive.
Employees as human firewall
According to IBM, human error causes 95% of all cybersecurity incidents. In the US alone, it cost $400 billion of damages. “That is why it’s crucial that companies constantly make their employees aware of the dangers that are lurking. Most importantly, inform their staff when their security has been breached. This should be done with high tech. It’s really not an option to warn your staff by email when your mail server is hacked”, according to Hoen.
Not only do several major hospitals and safety regions in the Netherlands successfully make use of Netpresenter software, the Dutch technology is also used in the US. Multiple health care facilities, such as the renowned George Washington University Hospital, have Netpresenter in place to alert staff.
Frank Hoen was inspired to build lifesaving communication systems after the 9/11 attacks. The Netpresenter CEO had an office in the Twin Towers in the past. In his spare time, Frank Hoen developed the Amber Alert system, which was launched in 2008.
About AMBER Alert
AMBER Alert is the alert system of the Dutch National Police for urgent cases of missing children and child abductions. An alert can reach millions in minutes. The police can immediately warn the Netherlands nationwide in case of a missing or abducted child with this system. Alerts are spread on PC, digital signage screens, websites, email, text messages, apps, social media, television and radio. The chances of a positive outcome highly increases.
For more information about our solution, see our Security page.