Maersk, the world's largest shipping company, runs on technology - systems that track the whereabouts of millions of tonnes of cargo every minute of every day, everywhere in the world. When the company was hit by one of the most severe malicious cyberattacks ever, offices were disconnected, networks failed and computers went blank. Adam recounts a dramatic story of emergency procedures, sleepless nights, improvised systems and frenzied phone calls. A huge team effort kept the company operating, removed the malware, and rebuilt the crucial global network in what has become a lesson for others in dealing with this new type of threat.
Adam Banks was Chief Technology & Information Officer of the world’s biggest shipping company AP Moller-Maersk. When the company was hit by the largest malicious cyber attack to date, he was at the heart of efforts to both keep the company going, and repair the damage.
Maersk, one of the world’s largest companies, responsible for moving almost every conceivable type of object all over the world, runs on technology. Systems that track the whereabouts of millions of tonnes of cargo every minute of every day, anywhere on Earth. When the company was hit by one of the most severe malicious cyber attacks ever, offices were disconnected, networks failed and computers went blank. The NotPetya cyber attack crippled the company, affecting everything from laptops to international servers to office security gates. It had the potential to bring the business down.
Adam recounts a dramatic story of emergency procedures, sleepless nights, improvised systems and frenzied phone calls. A huge team effort kept the company operating, removed the malware, and rebuilt the crucial global network in what has become a lesson for others in dealing with this new type of threat. He delivers insights into the event itself, the emergency strategies and measures that were already in place, and the new ones developed in response, and the single most vital thing that saved the company: its people.
Prior to his role as CIO at Maersk Adam was Vice President and Head of Simplification, an IT role that demands a high-level view of systems and processes and ensuring they can be done with a smaller, future-proof range of hardware and software. Professionally he has held most major IT and information roles including Head of Architecture, Head of Operations, and Head of Development. He’s also served in senior HR and customer service roles, and was CIO and CTO at financial services companies Monitise and Visa.
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