Bitcoin the currency and protocol has never been attacked.  I mean it is like saying I saw a 7-11 get robbed so obviously there is a critical flaw in the dollar.  People like to point out that banks are insured however the cash in your wallet isn't insured.   The dollars you give to a ponzi operator aren't insured either (dollar based ponzi schemes defrauded investors of $50B last year).  

MFGlobal defrauded investors of roughly the same amount as MTGox.  Both were bad companies where depositors misplaced their trust.  Don't put your Bitcoins in the hands of someone else and then be surprised when they "disappear".

The solution isn't in an improved protocol because the problem isn't with the protocol.  The problem is human both bad humans and humans who make bad (risky) decisions.   The solution is in better education and users demanding more from service providers and merchants.

As for your grandma ... give it twenty years.