Pixabay Hacker

[David]

LastOctober, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned in a technical alert that hackers are attacking MSSPs, MSP and CSPs as the weak link in a supply chain to get to their customers. In strongly advising service providers to lock down their systems and data, the DHS issued a set of best practices specifically for service providers.

Insikt has positioned its report as most useful to internal IT security of companies that partner with MSPs and cloud hosting providers along with organizations that rely on third-party supply chains. Of its partnership with Rapid7 to tie APT10 to the Chinese government, Insikt said industry collaboration is a vital enabler in illuminating threats and offering protection to organizations at risk from hostile, state-sponsored economic cyberespionage."

D. Howard Kass is a contributing editor to MSSP Alert. He brings a career in journalism and market research to the role. He has served as CRN News Editor, Dataquest Channel Analyst, and West Coast Senior Contributing Editor at Channelnomics. As the CEO of The Viewpoint Group, he led groundbreaking market research.

The faulty CrowdStrike Falcon update resulting in the widespread global IT outage that disrupted nearly 8.5 million Windows systems last week had been missed due to a vulnerability in the firm's Content Validator tool.

AT&T Mobility's widespread network outage in February that disrupted 125 million devices stemmed from a network misconfiguration by an employee and also from inadequate best practices adherence, according to the US FCC.

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The first step in combating phishing is training (such as via the masters in cyber security from ECU). Almost every executive around the world agrees that untrained staff are the greatest threat to the cyber security of their business. Employee training at all levels of the organisation is a valuable fortification against cyber threats.

A good example is the accounting department, where some staff will have access to payroll while others will have access to accounts. Staff outside the accounting department may have access to expenses and invoices, or they may have no access at all. If a phishing attack on any of these user accounts is successful, the breach will be limited to the resources available to that account.

Another tactic to counteract phishing is to implement a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. Rather than inviting employees to bring their own computers, a BYOD policy outlines the ground rules for any device that is not supplied by the business. Access to networks and USB ports can be restricted to company approved devices that are fully compliant with your cyber security policies.

Ransomware is malicious software or malware, that takes your data hostage until a ransom is paid to the hacker who sent it. In some instances, it can threaten to publish your data, while in other cases it blocks access or completely encrypts your data.

Ransomware often finds its way into businesses through phishing. All it requires is one click on a link in a convincing looking email that takes you to a legitimate looking website. Without the user even realising, the malware makes its way into the computer system and the cyber threat unfolds. Another, more crude way in, is through an email with an attachment that the user is invited to open.

Internet security company Malwarebytes reports that business detections of ransomware increased 200% from the last quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019. As a result, employees are increasingly likely to encounter one of these nasties in their inbox. Again, training staff to be cyber security aware is the first step in combating both phishing and ransomware.

Malware scanning software and antivirus software can also be effective by intercepting a trojan message before it reaches the employee. These programs can quarantine emails, prevent downloads or simply highlight potential threats.

One of the key principles in network security is to create an impermeable perimeter that separates a business network from the Internet. Firewalls enable this invisible border and allow authorised connections in, while keeping unauthorised approaches out. Maintaining the perimeter requires all parts of the network, and the devices on it, to be secured.

Devices can also become insecure if they miss an update. A few years ago, the personal account details of 83 million customers were stolen from a US bank, because one network server was not updated. Like most banks, it had introduced two-factor authentication, where a second unique password is required to log in. Unfortunately, when it rolled out two-factor authentications, one network server was missed, and the hackers found their way in.

Over Labor Day weekend in September 2022, the Los Angeles Unified School District was the victim of a ransomware attack that was later reported to have been perpetrated by a Russia-based hacking syndicate called the Vice Society.

Some data was stolen during that attack and posted on the dark web, but Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said at the time there was no evidence the hackers had accessed sensitive student or staff personal data.

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