The Most Vulnerable Time of the Year
As we embrace the holiday season and approach the long-awaited weekends, it’s essential to be on high alert for potential cyber threats. The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have reported a surge in ransomware attacks during holidays and weekends. These attacks target both individuals and organizations, making it crucial for everyone to stay vigilant.
Every year, companies fall victim to cyber attacks during the holiday season. During the Memorial Day weekend in May 2021, a critical infrastructure entity in the Food and Agricultural Sector suffered a ransomware attack affecting U.S. and Australian meat production facilities, resulting in a complete production stoppage. In July 2021, over the Fourth of July weekend, cybercriminals targeted a vital IT Sector organization based in the United States by compromising their remote monitoring and management tool, causing disruption to numerous organizations, including multiple managed service providers and their clientele.
The holiday season is a time of celebration, relaxation, and quality time with loved ones. But it’s also a time when cybercriminals take advantage of lowered defenses to launch malicious attacks. With major holidays, long weekends, and bank holidays becoming increasingly targeted by cybercriminals, it’s crucial for organizations to implement stronger cyber defenses during these periods. Keep reading to explore the cyber-trends that emerge during holidays, tips and tricks for defending your organization, and delve into why CISA warns of the rise in ransomware attacks during these special times.
Understanding the Cyber-Trends:
Major holidays and long weekends, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, the 4th of July, and bank holidays, have become attractive windows of opportunity for cybercriminals. These are the times when many organizations operate with reduced staff and have slower response times. Cybercriminals capitalize on these vulnerabilities, aiming to infiltrate networks, deploy malware, and compromise data.
Defending your Organization: Tips and Tricks:
- Stay Vigilant: Cyber threats never take a break, so neither should your vigilance. Ensure that your cybersecurity defenses are fully operational even during holidays and weekends.
- Employee Training: Conduct regular cybersecurity training sessions for your employees. Make sure they are aware of the risks and how to recognize phishing emails, malicious links, and other common threats.
- Implement Strong Password Policies: Encourage the use of strong, unique, passwords and enforce password changes regularly. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
- Regular Updates: Keep all operating systems and software up to date. Cybercriminals often exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software.
- Network Segmentation: Implement network segmentation with multiple layers and restrict remote access to only those who require it. Monitor remote access logs and enforce account lockouts after a specified number of attempts.
- Offline Backup: Ensure you have offline, encrypted backups of your critical data. Ransomware variants often attempt to delete or encrypt accessible backups. Regularly test your backups to confirm their reliability.
- Incident Response Plan: Develop and maintain a robust incident response plan. Ensure that your organization is prepared for a cyberattack and can respond effectively.
Building a Lights-Out Checklist:
Before clocking off for the weekend or a holiday, create a checklist to ensure that your organization’s cybersecurity defenses are robust and ready. This checklist may include:
- Confirming all software and systems are up-to-date
- Verifying that backups are functioning correctly and are offline
- Checking that intrusion detection systems are active
- Reviewing user account access and permissions
- Ensuring that remote access is secured and monitored
Ransomware: CISA’s Warning:
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has noted a significant increase in ransomware attacks during holidays and long weekends. Cybercriminals specifically target these times to maximize the damage they can inflict. These attacks can result in data loss, financial loss, and serious reputational damage.
CISA strongly advises organizations not to pay ransoms, as it does not guarantee the recovery of data and may encourage further attacks. Reporting ransomware incidents to CISA or a local FBI field office is essential, as it helps track ransomware attackers and provides crucial information to prevent further attacks.
Remember, cyber threats don’t take a holiday, so neither should your cybersecurity efforts. Contact DDKinfotech to stay secure and enjoy your holidays with peace of mind!
