A hospital brought to a standstill, an airline without a booking app, a public service paralyzed: cyberattacks are no longer science fiction. They now strike at the very heart of our societies and expose their fragility. In Life After a Cyber Hack, Léwis Verdun offers a powerful exploration of the major cyber offensives of 2024 and 2025 while shedding light on their often overlooked human and economic consequences.

Behind every attack, a human story

Every cyberattack is more than malicious code. It disrupts lives. Behind the screen are patients deprived of care, employees without tools, families unable to travel. Recent examples illustrate this: the MOVEit vulnerability compromised millions of personal records, while the Change Healthcare case paralyzed thousands of pharmacies and hospitals.
The author reminds us that these events weaken not only infrastructures but also individuals. Stress, uncertainty, and psychological exhaustion become everyday realities for those on the front line of crisis management.

The alarming numbers of cybersecurity

Recent data reveals the scale of the problem. Studies show that 62% of cybersecurity leaders now suffer from burnout. Deepfakes, increasingly realistic, already cost companies billions, deceiving both customers and employees. On top of that, the pace of attacks is accelerating: ransomware, sophisticated phishing, targeted sabotage—no sector is spared.
These statistics are not meant to scare but to alert: cyberattacks have become a structural reality of our digital societies.

A shifting legislative landscape

To counter this growing threat, new laws are emerging. The European regulation NIS2 imposes stricter cybersecurity obligations on critical businesses. DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) focuses on financial institutions, ensuring digital resilience against attacks. Finally, the AI Act aims to regulate artificial intelligence to limit abuses and misuse.
These texts are not just administrative details—they redefine responsibility and push organizations to embed cybersecurity at the core of their governance.

Practical solutions for protection

Far from sensationalism, Life After a Cyber Hack highlights clear and actionable practices:

  • Apply the 3-2-1-1-0 rule: three copies of data, stored on two different media, one offsite, one immutable, and zero errors during recovery tests.

  • Audit your suppliers: because an organization is never stronger than its weakest link.

  • Implement AI governance: understand the algorithms in use, identify biases, and set up control mechanisms.

  • Support your teams: because protecting infrastructure is not enough—mental health of cybersecurity professionals must also be preserved.

Together, these approaches enable a shift from reactive crisis management to a true culture of prevention.

Psychological impact: the other side of hacking

One of the book’s most striking points is its focus on the human cost of cyberattacks. Cybersecurity leaders, under constant pressure, are experiencing widespread burnout. IT teams live in a permanent state of emergency, balancing threat detection with crisis response.
But it’s not just the experts. Victims—whether companies or individuals—also face emotional shock. Loss of trust, fear of the future, a sense of helplessness… cybersecurity is as much about psychology as it is about technology.

Why read Life After a Cyber Hack?

This mini-book goes beyond alarmist headlines. It invites readers to rethink their relationship with cybersecurity, combining data, international reports, and practical solutions. Clear, accessible, and pragmatic, it speaks both to professionals and to curious citizens eager to understand the digital challenges ahead.

A short yet dense read, true to the Five Minutes collection, delivering in just a few pages the essentials of a changing world.

Order your copy of Life After a Cyber Hack today on Five Minutes and discover how to turn a digital attack into an opportunity for resilience.