When we hear the term “critical infrastructure,” we want to believe that the assets – whether they are physical or digital – are extremely secure. Our minds conjure images of the vaults of Fort Knox, which are protected from every angle. However, critical infrastructure of the digital variety is not necessarily any more secure than any other digital asset. It all comes down to how meticulous the organization is in looking for and quickly closing vulnerabilities and security gaps that expose an attack surface for a bad actor to exploit.
Yes, you need one. But who do you turn to? Inept ransomware negotiators have left companies in worse shape than they found them in by inciting threat actors to do even more damage. The best approach is to engage a ransomware negotiator before you’re attacked, so they can work with you to create a sound crisis response plan. What should you look for when hiring a ransomware expert to drive crisis planning and response at your enterprise?
A cold reality in today’s enterprise is that ransomware is looming and threatening organizations constantly – like a lion behind the tall grass waiting patiently for its prey. It has unequivocally become the biggest threat to an enterprise alongside malware and phishing, even more so than a natural disaster or hardware failure, or a zero-day attack.
Ransomware penetrates an organization’s IT infrastructure through phishing emails or endpoint vulnerabilities and then encrypts files, holding data hostage until a fee is paid to decrypt them. The FBI has deemed ransomware the fastest growing malware threat, causing significant revenue loss, business downtime and reputational damage. It’s critical organizations protect their data by following the best practices.
Huntsville City Schools in Alabama will remain closed for the week amid a ransomware cyberattack. According to a school spokesperson the district immediately responded after finding out about the breach.
Baltimore County Schools said schools will be closed for students through at least Tuesday, December 1, as a result of the ransomware cyberattack that forced schools to close last week. The threat actors behind the ransomware attack has not been reported.
Cybersecurity breaches are an all-too-common and ever-evolving threat that every organization should be prepared for. But as digital ecosystems evolve to support new innovations and an increasing number of connected devices, so does the complexity of managing and securing critical network infrastructure. What can be done to prevent attacks and protect sensitive data and critical infrastructure? One of the first and most critical steps to improving security is to ensure network management operates independently from the production network.
In its quarterly report, toy maker Mattel announced it was the victim of a ransomware attack on its information technology systems that caused data on a number of systems to be encrypted in July 2020.
Blackbaud, cloud software provider, has been sued in 23 proposed consumer class action cases in the U.S. and Canada related to the ransomware attack and data breach that the company suffered in May 2020.
