Jurassic Park became the highest grossing box office hit of all time in 1993, taking audiences on a thrilling adventure through a dangerous world populated by dinosaurs.
The US science-fiction thriller, directed by Steven Spielberg, grossed more than £704 million globally during its initial run in cinemas. Based on a novel by Michael Crichton, it charted the chaos when scientists lost control of a tropical theme park of cloned dinosaurs.
Three decades ago, when the film was released, audiences marvelled at its futuristic technology, such as touch-screen computers and self-driving cars – inventions that have become a reality today. There were also references to computers’ CPU cycles that seemed to predict future cloud storage solutions.
Lessons learned from Jurassic Park
While Jurassic Park still stands out as one of the greatest sci-fi adventure films of all time, it has also gained new relevance in the way it relates to today’s tech-driven companies. Analysts have cited the plot as an example of how operating a business without comprehensive backup systems can be disastrous.
The lessons learned from Jurassic Park include the importance of having a contingency plan for a business that accounts for the unexpected. The film shows the consequences of an underwhelming approach to security, which can lead to one single disgruntled employee causing havoc.
Issues at the theme park arose from incomplete testing of the system, leading to vulnerabilities, with the consequent breakdown of team communication and lack of collaboration making efforts to rectify the consequences almost impossible.
What is cybersecurity?
In today’s business world, IT plays a pivotal role in every scenario, and as a result, the highest level of cybersecurity is required to prevent companies and clients from being compromised. Without it, organisations and individuals run the risk of a cyber attack.
Cybersecurity protects electronic devices, software, networks and data that we all rely on in the modern business world, combating data breaches, phishing scams, ransomware attacks, identity theft and more.
Business protocol demands every organisation must install measures to prevent malicious attacks, data breaches and other security incidents through a viable action plan. Security experts and their teams are employed to keep networks reliable and safe for bona fide users.
It has become increasingly important in recent years due to advances in technology and the fact we live more of our corporate and personal lives online. The General Data Protection Regulation demands organisations must put in place suitable security measures to protect personal data.
Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attacks, creating new challenges for security experts. According to Michael Bruemmer, Experian’s vice president of Global Data Breach Resolution, cybercriminals are “working smarter” by harnessing new technologies to their advantage and becoming “more strategic”.
The most common attacks include using ransomware to extort money from system users; accessing sensitive information for illegal use such as identity theft; changing or destroying information; and generally interrupting normal day-to-day business processes.
Security breach impact on Jurassic Park
In Jurassic Park, wealthy businessman John Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough, achieves his ambitious dream of opening an amusement park of live dinosaurs, cloned by scientists from ancient DNA preserved in amber, a fossilised tree resin. However, his complete disregard for the need to continually update security systems to combat potential attacks leads to a major disaster on the fantasy holiday island.
The theme park is under investigation after an incident leading to the death of a dinosaur handler. As an expert team tours the park and discusses the ethics of the project, the dream unexpectedly turns into a nightmare when an underpaid and disgruntled employee wreaks revenge.
Dennis Nedry, the lead computer programmer, decides to sabotage Jurassic Park in a bid to steal property including dinosaur embryos and defect to a rival firm. This results in dangerous dinosaurs escaping from their enclosures when fences are de-electrified and gates are opened.
Once the online security system has been deactivated, the importance of setting up a contingency plan for a business in the event of a security breach becomes apparent. The remaining staff and visitors embark on a desperate bid for survival as they are stalked as prey by various carnivorous dinosaurs. The self-drive vehicles suddenly have no power and the occupants are trapped in the park near the most dangerous Tyrannosaurus Rex enclosure.
How does this relate to modern IT systems?
Modern cybersecurity experts point out the issues depicted in Jurassic Park arise from incomplete testing, which leads to system vulnerabilities. Nedry had done much of the programming himself with no-one to monitor him, so he knew of a secret “back door” to allow him access to the room where the embryos were kept.
However, his plan to steal and smuggle embryos to a rival firm by boat and then reactivate the security system without anyone knowing went dangerously wrong when he crashed his car on the way to the docks and was killed by a loose dinosaur.
His colleagues had no option other than to revert to the old IT cure-all when a computer system went wrong: turning it off and on again, as they were unable to understand Nedry’s coding. While waiting for the power to kick in again, several characters lost their lives.
In today’s business scenario, all new tech implementations, from software to hardware, must undergo rigorous testing and quality assurance before being widely deployed. Modern businesses can avoid such issues by investing in cybersecurity measures, employee access protocols and regular security updates.
Team communication breakdown
The other major issue in Jurassic Park was caused because team communication broke down due to the system being deactivated, causing greater confusion during the crisis. Never underestimate the value of effective communication channels in business!
Being based in a bespoke workplace, such as serviced offices, facilitates greater collaboration and communication. Teams can react to any issues as they happen and fix them before disaster befalls the organisation.
The key is to learn from your own experiences. The government’s 2024 Cyber Security Breaches survey reveals 50% of all UK businesses have been subject to an attack or breach during the past 12 months, with a massive 84% of cyber attacks being initiated by phishing messages. Thanks to being on the ball and being aware of the attack in real time, 92% of affected businesses were able to secure the system and restore operations within 24 hours.
Never stop upgrading online security to keep one step ahead of the criminals, and if you have been breached, learn from your experience to prevent it from happening again.
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