> What if they had bricked life support equipment, or part of an airliner

While I agree that was a bad strategy, even more so from a PR standpoint, I'd like to believe critical industries like medical electronics or avionics would do a better job not only validating components (even at the individual level) but also subsequent software updates. Electronics are less a wear part than mechanical parts where counterfeits have an easier time sneaking in (the occasional counterfeit screw let's say).

Any scenario involving any kind of failure looks more dire when you attach it to "life support", "airplane", or "nuclear facility".