White House Issues Warning about Russian Cyberattacks
Good afternoon all,
In a statement issued by the White House, President Biden encouraged private sector companies in the United States to strengthen their cybersecurity against a potential breach by Russia. In the statement, the President warned of evolving intelligence that the Russian government is exploring “options for potential cyberattacks” on critical infrastructure in the U.S, in retaliation for sanctions and other punishments as the war in Ukraine grinds on. In tandem with the briefing, the White House released a cyber-preparedness fact sheet, and the following statement, both of which can be viewed here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/21/statement-by-president-biden-on-our-nations-cybersecurity/.
Other Resources
CISA Shields-Up website: https://www.cisa.gov/shields-up
Mitigation efforts recommended by the Federal Government: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/21/fact-sheet-act-now-to-protect-against-potential-cyberattacks/
The above resources and statement from The White House explain the importance of having advanced security measures as well as an Incident Response Plan and/or Data Security Policy. As in my previous security bulletins to you, I will reiterate the following measures every company should be taking advantage of at a minimum in order to prepare for and mitigate damage from cyber-attacks.
What We Recommend
Because of the severity of recent bulletins and specific targeting of small and medium sized businesses, we strongly recommend taking advantage of the following services we provide at a minimum in order to protect your company data and your employees from becoming victims of ransomware or malware:
Conducting regular off-site (cloud) and local backups (full-image and file/folder) of workstations and servers
Enhanced e-mail protection (MS365 & GSuite)
Installing Ransomware Early-warning systems and/or Enhanced Threat Detection and Response (ETDR) software
Utilizing non-consumer grade anti-virus/anti-malware
Using strong passwords in combination with Multi-Factor Authentication
Some longer-term actions we also recommend:
Crafting a Data Security Policy & Incident Response Plan
Leveraging quarterly Security Awareness Training for staff
If you have any questions about any of the mentioned services, or are unsure of the specific services and protection you are receiving from us, I strongly recommend you reach out to us as soon as possible.
Thank you again for your continued support and business and I look forward to talking to all of you soon.
Stay vigilant,
Ryan S. McKee | LinkedIn
Director of Operations