Considering the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical crisis and cyberattacks targeting Ukrainian organizations, government entities and their allies, U.S. and European cyber authorities recommend companies of all sizes and sectors prepare for potential cyberattack spillover.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that more than 100 of the world’s Fortune 500 companies rely on support services based in Ukraine. If your company or third-party providers operate in or have adversaries in that region, the threat vector for your organization expands exponentially.
Given the increased risk and the high cost of recovery, organizations of all sizes should adopt a heightened cybersecurity posture and protect their most critical assets. We recommend the following immediate actions:
- Raise awareness on the cybersecurity impact of the recent global events and train your employees on phishing attacks, social engineering attacks and good cybersecurity hygiene.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication for all remote access to your network.
- Ensure that all software is up-to-date, prioritizing known exploited vulnerabilities.
- Back up all your critical data and isolate the backups from your enterprise network.
- Review network segmentation enforcement strength and zoning based on potential change in relative trust between segments and offices impacted by the crisis.
- Analyze existing DDoS protections not only for critical public-facing assets but also for any ingress or egress internet point of presence.
- Revise your security plans to account for safety and operational resilience considerations. As cyber-physical systems (CPS) have emerged due to operational technology (OT)/IT system integration and new automation efforts, human safety and resilience are as important as information security.
- Review your Incident Response plan and ensure your contacts are up to date.
- Review your Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery plans, perform a tabletop exercise and ensure all parties involved are aware of their responsibilities.
We understand that cybersecurity is complex and protecting your organization can be overwhelming.
CFGI is here to help you. Feel free to contact our cybersecurity team for a consultation to better understand your risks and steps to protect your organization.