Cybersecurity Alert From DPI

Sophisticated Cyber-Attacks are increasing at an alarming rate!

Although we have found no concrete connection between the Corona Virus and a significant increase in the frequency and sophistication of recent cyber-attacks, it is difficult to believe that this increase is coincidence. We believe that cyber-criminals are taking advantage of the Corona Virus crisis that is moving thousands of workers to remote locations and taking cybersecurity professionals away from their posts to introduce new and very devastating cyber-attacks on Small and Mid-Sized Businesses. The confusion and disruption of business caused by a situation like the Corona Virus is the perfect opportunity to infiltrate and attack a business.

These attacks are not only employing new techniques on local network systems, they have also compromised many of the most prominent cloud backup solutions. The extent of this compromise is not yet known. However, we have seen information on the dark web that causes us to believe that nearly all backup companies have been infiltrated and are at risk.  What we do know for certain,

is that the attackers are able to infiltrate cloud backups and encrypt and/or destroy all backup files, rendering them useless in the event of a malware or ransomware attack. 

In this cyber-threat environment, adding new layers of cybersecurity is the best way to try and combat new and evolving threats. Therefore, we recommend implementing a personalized version of each of the following cybersecurity layers in addition to our current monitoring and cybersecurity in place at your business.

Immediately:

  • Remind all employees to be exceptionally cautious about visiting any websites not essential to completing their work. Websites of all kinds have been compromised and can contain malware.
  • Don’t open any suspicious-looking email. Look at the email address of the sender before opening any new email. Make sure it is something that you recognize.
    • If you have any suspicions about an email, contact DPI and we will help you confirm the legitimacy of it. 
  • Don’t do any updates to installed programs unless you have confirmed that they are legitimate and necessary to keep a program running. 
    • DPI will examine, test, and install all Windows Operating Systems patches and updates.  DO NOT approve or install any Windows updates yourself.
    • Contact DPI with any questions you may have about program updates before allowing them.

Introduce new cybersecurity systems ASAP:

  • Begin an “Air-Gapped” local backup of essential data. 
    • This is an “Old-School” local backup of data to external hard drives that are connected directly to your critical device(s) and swapped daily or weekly with at least one hard drive disconnected or “Air-Gapped” from the network and stored on or off-site. 
    • DPI has ordered external hard drives and can supply you with the appropriate number and size for your data.
  • Implement Content Filtering, Intrusion & Threat Prevention, Phishing & Virus Blocking with Untangle NG supplemental firewall. 
    • The Content Filter allows you to enforce acceptable Internet usage policies and block access to illegal website content, websites containing content unsuitable for the workplace.
    • This type of Firewall blocks malware, hacking attempts, phishing schemes, and other exploits before they reach users.
    • There are a variety of Untangle solutions that can be customized for your business.
    • DPI has recently partnered with Untangle to provide the best pricing for our partners.
  • Implement a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Solution
    • SIEM Solutions have been an important part of enterprise cybersecurity for many years. 
    • They aggregate data from multiple systems and analyze that data to catch abnormal behavior or potential cyberattacks. 
    • These solutions have always been extremely expensive, costing anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars per year. They also require highly skilled data scientists to interpret the log data that they produce. 
    • DPI has partnered with Wilson Cyber Security Group (WCSG) who has developed a SIEM solution that is cost-effective and easily implemented. We highly recommend it.
    • We can provide you with pricing specific to your needs. 

Please begin increasing your cybersecurity by educating your employees about using caution when visiting websites, opening emails, and approving program updates immediately. We will be contacting your company over the next few days to discuss additional layers of cybersecurity, specifically tailored for your business.