When the Sky Strikes Back

When the Sky Strikes Back

A United Airlines pilot was recently injured after a mysterious object shattered the windshield of a Boeing 737 cruising at 36,000 feet.

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. Photos showed a spider-webbed cockpit window, scattered glass, and scorch marks at the point of impact.

No bird. No hail. No clear explanation.

Just an unexpected, high-altitude hit — the kind of threat no one saw coming.

From the Skies to the Server Room

It’s easy to dismiss this as an aviation mystery, but for cybersecurity professionals, it’s eerily familiar.

In IT, most damage isn’t caused by predictable “low-altitude” threats like spam or basic viruses. It’s the unseen, high-velocity hits — sophisticated zero-day exploits, insider errors, or third-party breaches — that bring systems down.

Like that pilot, businesses often learn the hard way that danger doesn’t always announce itself.

Visibility Is Your Windshield

Aircraft windshields are designed with multiple reinforced layers — yet a single unseen object still pierced through.

Most corporate networks are built the same way: firewalls, antivirus, MFA, and monitoring tools. But when one unpatched vulnerability slips past, the damage can cascade.

That’s why continuous visibility and real-time detection are mission-critical. Without them, you’re flying blind.

An effective MSP ensures:

• Layered defenses are monitored and updated.

• Anomalies are detected before impact.

• Incident response protocols are clear, fast, and rehearsed.

Preparing for the One-in-a-Billion Event

The FAA estimates the odds of space debris injuring a passenger at one-trillion-to-one.

Yet, here we are.

In cybersecurity, low-probability doesn’t mean low-risk.

Even if you think, “It could never happen to us,” it only takes one breach to ground your business — financially and reputationally.

That’s why resiliency planning isn’t paranoia. It’s preparation.

The Lesson from 36,000 Feet

The unexpected can happen anywhere — even where you feel safest.

Whether it’s a Boeing at cruising altitude or your business at peak productivity, your best defense is readiness: visibility, layered protection, and a recovery plan before impact.

⸻

70% of all cyber attacks target small businesses, I can help protect yours.

#CyberSecurity #MSP #RiskManagement #Business #ITSecurity