You may have already heard that President Joe Biden on Monday issued an urgent warning to American business leaders, telling them to strengthen their organizations’ cyber defenses immediately. Biden said, “The magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential and it’s coming.”
The White House has warned repeatedly about the potential for Russia to engage in malicious cyber activity against the United States. This puts the responsibility on every business owner and operator to accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors.
It’s Time To Start Training Your Staff
The majority of attacks coming in from bad actors today are still being done through e-mail phishing attacks. Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers.
It occurs when an attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, dupes a victim into clicking on a link in an e-mail, instant message, or text message. This leads to the installation of malware, the freezing of the system as part of a ransomware attack, or as a means to collect sensitive information.
The best cyber defense is to be proactive and train your staff on these types of attacks. To help, see our 5 Tips To Protect Your Business From Phishing Attacks And Ransomware video below.
Further Recommendations From The CISA
CISA recommends all organizations—regardless of size—adopt a heightened posture when it comes to cybersecurity and protecting their most critical assets. This includes the following below, with a detailed list at this link here.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
- Ensure all software and systems are patched.
- Deploy modern security tools to detect threats.
- Ensure the security of your backups.
By implementing the above steps, organizations can make near-term progress toward improving their cybersecurity and resilience. In addition, while recent cyber incidents have not been attributed to specific actors, CISA urges cybersecurity / IT personnel in every organization to review Understanding and Mitigating Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Threats to U.S. Critical Infrastructure. CISA also recommends organizations visit StopRansomware.gov, a centralized, whole-of-government webpage providing ransomware resources and alerts.
