Galaxy IV, a satellite that handles most of the US' pager traffic, stopped working last Tuesday at 6 p.m. when 2 computers on the satellite failed. The computers keep the satellite aligned with satellite dishes on the ground. Besides cutting off service to millions of pagers, the outage caused problems for businesses that rely on the satellite links for retail transaction-processing systems. The satellite outage sends a warning to businesses about the need for backup systems.
Implications:These situations emphasize the sorts of vulnerabilities that can result from dependency on large, complex ICT systems. |
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