Russian Invasion of Ukraine Heightens Cyber Concerns

(March 8, 2022) The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) recommends that all organizations and individuals adopt heightened cybersecurity even though there are no specific cyber threats to the United States because of the Russia invasion of Ukraine.

The CISA said organizations should plan for a “worst-case scenario.” The planning should include taking measures to protect a company’s most critical assets and, if an intrusion is detected, to disconnect parts of the network.

Individuals also are at risk the agency warned. CISA offers the following advice:

• Implement multi-factor authentication on your accounts. A password is not sufficient. Implementing a second layer of identification, like a confirmation text messages, fingerprint, or face ID “can make you 99% less likely to get hacked.”
• Update your software. Turn on automatic updates and update the operating system on your mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
• Think before you click. More than 90% of successful cyberattacks start with a phishing email.
• Use strong passwords, and ideally a password manager to generate and store unique passwords.

Malwarebyes Labs adds these tips:

• Avoid using peer-to-peer file sharing programs.
• Slow down and think before clicking or reacting to unexpected messages.
• Never open unexpected attachments and be cautious even about attachments from friends and family.
• Back up your data frequently and check that your backup data can be restored. Back up to an external device and disconnect it when the backup is complete. Never connect the backup drive to a computer if you suspect that the computer is infected with malware.