Local Experts Question Computer ‘Glitches’

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CHARLOTTE, NC — Three computer glitches, on the same day, affecting major financial, transportation and media entities.

Those glitches are supposedly fixed as of Wednesday. But they shut down the New York Stock Exchange, and grounded an airline.

Now authorities are trying to determine if the problems were just technical hiccups, as the government claims, or potential hackings.

“Two of our primary, critical infrastructures,” says former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker. “It is a little bit suspicious, and there are many of us that don’t believe in coincidences like that.”

The government is saying there is no indication computer issues that grounded all United Airlines flights, shut down trading at the New York Stock Exchange and crashed the Wall Street Journal website were a coordinated effort by “nefarious actors”.

But Swecker, who is also a former head of corporate security at Bank of America, says they at least highlight our vulnerabilities.

“Nothing that touches the internet is secure,” says Swecker. “Anybody that is candid with you, any IT security person, will tell you that.”

That makes this an uphill battle for business and government.  Charlotte-based international security expert Karl de la Guerra says criminals and hackers are always a threat.

“As good a defense as we try to put within our cyber systems, there are always going to be adversaries out there that are trying to find ways around it, and will find ways around it,” says de la Guerra.

“They’re probing vulnerabilities every day, all day long,” says Swecker. “We’re talking about state sponsors like China, and Russia, and Iran, and North Korea.”

There are also criminals seeking financial gain, and so-called “hack-tivists” looking to cause trouble.

United says its trouble was caused by a broken router. 4,900 flights were impacted worldwide, leaving some passengers at Charlotte-Douglas delayed and feeling a little anxious.    

“Not only United, but it looks like a couple of other big things shut down today, so we were kind of worried that our flight was going to get canceled today,” says Adam Kosel, who was flying from Charlotte to Buffalo.

The New York Stock Exchange reopened at 3:10 Wednesday afternoon, giving investors time to get closing numbers. There’s no word exactly how much money was lost.