Look To The Sky

So, does anyone have a clear picture on what the root cause was with yesterday's cyber outage? Was it a bad update released by Microsoft, or was it a bad update developed by CrowdStrike to be applied specifically to their own Windows applications? The on-line 'experts' are real foggy on this. One thing's for sure - the lawyers are racking and stacking. 

Oops...

Whatever the cause, this was certainly a lesson in vulnerability and fragility. Nothing nefarious or criminal, just a few lines of 'bad' code applied during an update that shuts down the airline and banking industries (to name just two) around the globe. No explosions, no gunfire, no evil hackers sitting in a star chamber somewhere in China. Just a few lines of code, code that had probably been tested and approved on development servers before being deployed to production servers world-wide. 

With increased complexity and scale comes geometrically increased risk and vulnerabilities. There's little you or I can do to anticipate these kinds of global-level impacts. They will happen, and happen right out of the blue with no warning. But have you thought about how you would mitigate these impacts at the personal, family and community level? What is your list of must-haves? Here's a short list to consider: 

• Reliable AC power to run things like refrigerators, home medical devices, security systems, to charge phones, computers, and power networking systems, etc.
• Reliable phone service (cell or landline) to keep in touch with vulnerable family & friends and to issue 'safe & well' updates
• Access to banking services, either on-line or at a local physical bank. Can you get to your money when you need it? (Although inflation chews away at it, experts recommend keeping a cash reserve on-hand to pay for things like food & fuel)
• Internet. The internet is what ties most of what we need together. It is the backbone that powers the global economy, and it's what links you to things like local emergency services, your loved ones (via email, text and voice comms), and necessary commercial services. Just because the internet is out at your location doesn't mean it's out everywhere. The key is being able to reach beyond your internet provider's local or regional infrastructure to get to where the internet is working

My solution for many of these must-haves can be summed up in one short phrase: look to the sky!

 

We live in an era where we can easily provide for ourselves. Small scale 'shelter at home' equipment, infrastructure and services are a burgeoning business. Generators, water purification and storage systems, off-grid communications systems and more are just an Amazon mouse click away. 

The thing that concerns me the most in a grid down situation is communications. I've got generators, I've got water storage and purification, I've got security systems, I've got solar power, I've got stored food and medicine. What concerns me most is keeping in touch with my loved ones. I'm not worried  about point-to-point radio communications with other hams, I know I can do that. I'm talking about checking in with my daughters, their families, close friends and others, and the ability to reach out to emergency services. It takes some planning, but it can be done, and the answer to most of this is right over our heads. Don't think in terms of bars of signal strength, think in terms of satellite constellation coverage and radio wave propagation. Consider these options: 

• Garmin in-Reach. Perhaps the most basic 'overhead' emergency communications system. It's a text messaging and alert system that is satellite based. Depending on the device you select (all made by Garmin) you can send and receive texts, send emergency signals (SOS), allow loved ones and emergency responders to track your location, and more. The in-Reach system has been in use for several decades now and has proven very reliable
• Satellite Phones. More expensive than in-Reach, but the overall costs have come down quite a bit over the past decade. There are a large number of sat phone manufacturers and a wide number of service providers, but they all seem to provide the same features and functions. 
• Satellite based internet. The big dog in this market space today is Elon Musk's Starlink. Starlink provides amazing performance, particularly when you consider service costs. It's not cheap like home internet (you have to factor in the hardware costs), but when you consider that it's an almost completely off-grid system (you still need AC to power the router and antenna) with high reliability and performance, for me it's a must-have.
• Winlink. Winlink is really the only viable ham radio-based system that can link you with non-ham radio individuals or agencies. It allows you to send emails to anyone, anywhere, via ham radio. No license needed on their end. And it's a two-way system; email your family members regarding your status, and they can respond back using their own email provider (GMail, Outlook, etc.). While not interactive like a phone call or text message, it is still a very viable, reliable and well tested system. But to use it you need your General-class license and the right equipment, and practice, practice, practice.

The next time something like this happens (and it will happen again - we can't beat the odds) don't just stand there shouting at your cell phone that's showing zero bars of coverage. Be ready for it and...

Look to the sky!

W8BYH out