What we know about the attack:
The recent cyber attack on the colonial pipeline and the resulting gas shortages dominated headlines in the U.S. last week.
An eastern European hacking group, Darkside, introduced ransomware that led to Colonial Pipeline shutting down a critical fuel pipeline. Despite early claims from the company that they would not pay a ransom to restore operations, they ended up paying five million dollars to the hackers.
In addition to the money paid, the public image of Colonial Pipeline has been damaged by this as well and will take time and effort to recover. Overall this attack was not incredibly ingenious or innovative, unlike other recent attacks like the Microsoft Exchange hack. This breach was the result of ransomware and there are cybersecurity protections companies can utilize to protect from ransomware.
What Cybersecurity measures should my company have in place:
To combat the numerous cybersecurity threats out there today including ransomware, Greystone Technology recommends that each of our clients have the following layers of security protections.
Multi-Factor Authentication: Using a method of authentication in addition to your password when logging into key systems.
Security Awareness Training: Automated testing and training of staff to bolster human awareness to identify security threats and phishing attempts.
DNS filtering: Organization-wide internet filtering preventing traffic to known malicious sites.
Advanced Endpoint Protection: Behavior-based endpoint software with 24/7 monitoring by a security team.
Dark Web Monitoring: Consistent monitoring of compromised usernames and passwords being sold in the digital black market.
If you are not sure or confident about how strong your companies current cybersecurity strategy is use our free risk assessment to help give you a better idea.
In addition to the protections listed above, we offer the latest cybersecurity products and services that go hand in hand with our managed IT services in order to provide you with the most effective IT period.
Each business is unique and has unique needs, to further discuss what security solutions would be right for your company please contact us today!
