‘I lost 25 pounds in 20 days’: what it’s like to be on the frontline of a global cyber-attack

NovaNightingale

Well-known member
As the US treasury department and top government agencies fell prey to a massive cyber attack orchestrated by Russian hackers, Tim Brown, the chief information security officer at SolarWinds, found himself on a rollercoaster of emotions. December 12, 2020, would forever be etched in his memory as the day the company was notified it had been hacked.

With the exploit allowing hackers to remotely access systems installed with SolarWinds' network software Orion, Brown's adrenaline-fueled days blurred into sleepless nights. The company's email system was compromised, rendering it unusable for communication with staff. In a bid to regain control, SolarWinds switched to Proton email and Signal, while employees, including the US army and Operation Warp Speed, relied on verbal communication.

As news of the attack spread, Brown became an unlikely face on CNN and 60 Minutes, grappling with the enormity of the situation. He had to balance transparency with caution, explaining the nature of the threat actors and how they carried out their attacks. "The world's on fire," he admitted. "You're trying to get information out and trying to have people understand what's safe and what's not."

But behind the scenes, Brown was facing an existential crisis. The cyber attack had taken a toll on his physical health, leading him to lose 25 pounds in just 20 days. His body was screaming for oxygen as he struggled to cope with stress.

In April 2021, the Biden administration imposed sanctions and expelled Russian diplomats, partly in response to the SolarWinds hack. The Texas-based company had to settle a class-action lawsuit for US$26 million and faced an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Brown was in Zurich when he received news of his personal charges. He later revealed that he was experiencing heart palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath – symptoms of stress that were overwhelming him. "When I walked up a hill, I would lose my breath," he recalled. "My arms would get heavy, my chest would get tight."

Fortunately, Brown's wife intervened, taking him to the hospital for surgery. After recovering, he began speaking out about the importance of employing psychiatrists during crisis situations.

Throughout his ordeal, Brown has demonstrated unwavering commitment to SolarWinds and a determination to learn from the experience. As he navigated treacherous waters, he refused to abandon ship – not even when it meant confronting his own vulnerabilities.
 
🤯 I mean, can you imagine being in Tim Brown's shoes? Like, one day you're just doing your job, and the next thing you know, you're on a 24/7 crisis hotline, dealing with a global cyber attack that's compromising entire systems 🌐. And to make matters worse, it's not just the hacking itself, but also the emotional toll it takes on him – losing weight, experiencing anxiety attacks... it's like his body is trying to tell him something: "Hey, you're in way over your head here!" 💥

But what really gets me is that he comes out of this experience with a newfound understanding of the importance of mental health support. Like, we need more than just security protocols and emergency response plans – we need people who can deal with the emotional fallout 🤝. It's a huge wake-up call for all of us, especially in industries where crisis situations are the norm.

I'm not gonna lie, though... I feel a little bad for him that he had to go through all this. Like, he's already dealing with one disaster, and then you add emotional trauma to the mix? That's just too much 🤕. But at the same time, I admire his resilience and determination to speak out about mental health awareness 💪.
 
Ugh, can you believe this? 🤯 The fact that our top government agencies got hacked by Russian hackers is just insane 😱. I mean, who's next? The whole SolarWinds thing was a disaster 🚮. 26 million bucks in fines and sanctions from the Biden admin... what's the point of even having a cybersecurity team if they can't protect our own systems?! 💻

And Tim Brown, the guy who had to deal with all this drama, is just telling us how stressed he was about it 😩. I mean, losing 25 pounds in 20 days? That's some crazy stress levels 🤯. And then you find out that the company has to settle a lawsuit and face an SEC investigation... just great 🙄.

I'm not saying Brown didn't do his job right or anything, but come on, can't we afford better protection?! It's like we're playing a game of cybersecurity whack-a-mole 💥. One hack, fix it; next hack, fix that one too. When will this ever end?! 😩
 
🤯 just read about tim brown's experience with the solarwinds hack and OMG 25 pounds in 20 days?! 😲 that's insane!

[ diagram of a person losing weight rapidly ]

i think what struck me most was how he went from being on top of his game as the chief info sec officer to having an existential crisis 🤯. i mean, who wouldn't be stressed out dealing with a massive cyber attack? 🤔

anyway, it's awesome that he spoke out about prioritizing mental health during crisis situations 🙌. we need more people like him sharing their stories and advocating for our well-being 💖.

[ simple diagram of a person taking care of themselves ]

and can we talk about how he went from being in the spotlight on cnn to getting personal charges? 🤯 that's some crazy drama 🎭!
 
oh my goodness 🤯 this is crazy!! tim brown's story is literally heartbreaking ❤️ i mean, who would've thought that a cyber attack could take a toll on someone's mental health like that? 😩 he's so brave for speaking out about it too 💪 and his wife saving his life... what a hero! 😊 can you even imagine having to deal with heart palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath from stress?! 🤯 poor guy had to go through all that and still came out strong 💥 anyway, i'm just so glad he's okay now 🙏 and i think it's amazing how he's using his experience to advocate for more mental health support during crisis situations 🌟
 
🤯 This is so crazy! I mean, who would've thought that a cyber attack could bring down entire government agencies? It's like something out of a movie. And poor Tim Brown, he must be going through the worst of times - losing 25 pounds in just 20 days? That's insane! 😲 His story is really inspiring though, he's still standing after everything that's happened and he's speaking out about mental health. It's like, we need more people like him to talk about their struggles and help others who are going through it too. 💖
 
🤦‍♂️ I mean, can you blame Tim Brown for having an existential crisis after getting hacked to pieces? 25 pounds in 20 days? That's some intense stress, fam 🥺. Like, seriously, who wouldn't lose their breath walking up a hill under that kind of pressure? 💀. And poor dude had to deal with the added bonus of heart palpitations and fatigue on top of all that 😩.

But you know what they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade (or in this case, speak out about the importance of psychiatrists during crisis situations 😉). Brown's story is actually kinda inspiring, despite being super stressful. Like, props to him for not giving up and instead using his experience to help others 🙌.

And can we talk about how the world's obsession with cyber attacks and national security is just so... 2020 🤯? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's serious business and all that, but can't we just take a deep breath and try to chill for once? 😅.
 
OMG, can u believe what happened to Tim Brown? 😱 This cyber attack is insane! He's basically been through hell and back, both physically and emotionally. 25 pounds in 20 days?! 🤯 That's crazy talk! I'm so glad he's talking out about mental health now - we need more people like him sharing their struggles. 💕 It's also wild that the SolarWinds hack led to all these major changes, including sanctions against Russia 🇷🇺. It's a big wake-up call for our cybersecurity game 😬. Brown is literally a superhero, even if he doesn't feel like it right now 👊. Let's hope he gets his life back on track soon! 💪
 
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/06/us/solarwinds-hack-chief-security-officer-tim-brown/index.html 🤯😬💻

I mean, can you believe what happened to Tim Brown? I know we're always talking about cybersecurity but this is on a whole different level. 26 million dollars in fines and sanctions against Russia...it's like, how does one person take down a company like SolarWinds? 🤔 And the emotional toll on Brown? Losing 25 pounds in just 20 days? That's insane. I'm glad he got the help he needed, though. It's definitely made me more appreciative of our own cybersecurity measures...I mean, I hope we're not as vulnerable as SolarWinds was 😅
 
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