Wellstar Health System Reveals Data Breach

Wellstar Health System announced on Friday afternoon that its email system had been hacked.

Well, it happened again. A data breach occurred at yet another healthcare firm. This time, it was Wellstar Health System. Unauthorized attackers obtained access to two email accounts two months ago, the organization discovered on Friday. Through those email accounts, gained access to patients’ health care information and it was exposed, including patient laboratory information. They missed the 2021 Healthcare Data Breach Trend Report from Protected Harbor at HIMSS.

Emails are one of the most common ways that hackers access sensitive information. This is because people often use their work email for personal purposes, so it is easier to get access to it. Hackers can use different methods and tricks to an email account. They might trick health workers into sharing their passwords, or they could send them a virus that tries to steal employee passwords from company computers.

If you are reading this, you understand that it’s essential to keep any critical emails secure when handling sensitive information. After all, Patient Health Information (PHI) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) can earn a few hundred dollars each on the dark web. That means healthcare employees are more targeted by hackers. And still, many healthcare organizations are not taking the proper steps to protect company email from hacking.

This article will go over how to defend yourself against important threats and what email security precautions you should take.

Install the Right Software

One of the essential email security precautions you can take is installing the right software to protect your emails. Many software options offer various levels of protection, so find out which one will work best for your needs. If you’re in healthcare, consider higher levels of security because you have a lot more sensitive information. Healthcare IT staff may also want to invest in Malwarebytes, a well-rounded antivirus solution, to provide another layer of protection against hacking.

Spam Hero is a software that looks for spam scans messages for infections before it reaches the Stopping malware emails before reaching an inbox can help keep hackers out of any sensitive documents you may come across in the future. Think how many emails with attachments are sent each day; if they were all scanned before recipients could open them, this would significantly decrease the chances of hackers getting a hold of sensitive information like PHI and EHR.

Monitor Your Inbox Activities

One of your email inboxes has received ten emails in one day. However, you only get about two a day, you do not remember sending out any emails that day, and it’s a Sunday. Is there a cybersecurity breach on your network? It could indicate that someone is trying to gain access to company information and has begun by accessing people’s email accounts. Monitor account activity regularly, and if you notice anything suspicious, have a playbook to implement additional security measures if you see something odd. Set up a new email address if necessary and measures such as multifactor authentication or changing all passwords. It is also important to routinely change passwords, even when there is no evidence of a breach; no system is perfect, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Educate your Employees & Staff

As exposed recently, hackers find new ways to trick healthcare employees into giving up sensitive information. Here are four easy things every HCIT department can do to improve their company’s employee cyber safety awareness:

1. Encourage employees to come forward if they suspect an email of being bogus.
2. Educate employees on what dangerous emails might look like. A recent study showed that over a quarter of doctors could not identify a malware email.
3. Tell your employees not to open attachments unless 100% confident that it is a trusted source. Installing a filter those auto-checks attachments is even better.
4. Have an Email Password Checklist for all of your employees.

We all have complex emails, but make it a requirement, set up failsafes to avoid re-used passwords, and help make it easier for your staff with some tips and how-tos. These simple tips will help protect against email cyber-attacks.

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is a great way to add an extra layer of security to your online accounts and protect yourself against email cyber-attacks. 2FA prevents hackers from simply guessing passwords and lets you focus on protecting other healthcare network vulnerabilities. By implementing these simple steps, you can protect your business and its data without adding too much time or hassle into everyday workflows.

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from hacking is to turn on two-factor authentication. 2FA will help ensure your information is more secure, and it doesn’t take much more time or effort than what you were doing before.

You might think it’s unnecessary to use two-step verification when you already have high-end cybersecurity software, but that is not true. Software and two-step verification work together to make sure your information is safe. A bad actor can bypass a security measure, so it’s necessary to have other protections in place too. This is where software and 2FA come in handy again.

Use Encryption

One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from hackers is by using encryption. Encryption scrambles the content of your email so that only you and the intended recipient can read it. It means that if a hacker does manage to intercept your email, they won’t be able to understand what it says. Even if they could break the encryption, any sensitive information in your email will be rendered indecipherable.

One such solution is ProtonMail, a secure email service that encrypts all of your messages by default. The only person who can decrypt your email is someone you sent it to or someone in the same organization (if they have a shared account).

Protect your Physical Computer and Network

Cybersecurity does not produce images of big burly security guards, but physical computer and network safety are just as crucial as virtual. This means having physical security checkpoints at entrances and exits of your healthcare organization. It would help if you also were careful about which devices employees plug into the network. Just because a power strip is plugged in doesn’t mean that it’s safe to plug in their mobile device.

Auto-lock and Remote Wipe Apps

Just think of how many texts you receive each day. You might likely be one of the unlucky people who have had their phone hacked. All someone needs to do is get a hold of your phone, and they can easily access any sensitive information on it, including work passwords. It may seem like locking your phone is a no-brainer, but not every employee does it. If your company hands out company phones or lets employees use their personal phones for work email, then decrease the auto-lock time to 30 seconds and install remote wiping.

Remote wipe is a security feature that allows a network administrator or device owner to send a command to a computer device that erases data. It’s usually used to wipe data from a lost or stolen device so that the information isn’t jeopardized if it comes into the wrong hands. It can also be used to erase data from a device that has changed owners or administrators and is no longer accessible physically.

Closing Thoughts

There are no easy answers when it comes to healthcare cybersecurity and email security. All of the things described above, and more, could have been performed by Wellstar Health System. Finally, attacks are growing more sophisticated, data is becoming more readily available, network connection points are rising, and healthcare IT professionals are being spread thin. When it comes to safeguarding your healthcare networks and servers, the first step is to determine which employees have access to sensitive information and which staff require specific data access.

Any strategy must also be adaptable and responsive to changes as they occur. Protected Harbor focuses on more than just software but hardware integration, special application connectivity, and employee workflows to create an always-safe environment. It is likely that at some point, HCIT will need to seek professional help to tackle the security breaches, so it is better to assign the task of managing the system security to an external agency. This way, you will no longer have to worry about data and network security, and your team will be able to focus on medical-related tasks.

An experienced, outside partner can help you see the bigger picture. Protected Harbor has the best practice knowledge on securing managed file transfers, HIPAA-compliant emails, data management, and security. We make sure your data is safe by using robust auditing and encryption technology that meets or exceeds HIPAA requirements for healthcare organizations.

Check out our 2021 Healthcare Data Breach Trend Report from HIMSS and our free eBook Optimizing the Healthcare Stack for Performance to learn more. We are also offering free IT Audits to all healthcare organizations for the next month following this attack. Reach out to schedule one today.

What is Supply Chain Attack? How to Prevent Them?

In this rapidly evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity has become essential. It has been described in simple terms of the trust, do not hand over credentials to fraudulent websites, and beware of email attachments or links from unknown sources. But sophisticated hackers undermine this basic sense of trust and find more robust ways to attack the supply chain. What if legitimate software or hardware making up your network has been compromised at the source?

This subtle and increasingly common form of hacking is called a supply chain attack. In recent years, most of the high-profile and damaging cybersecurity incidents have been supplying chain attacks. This article will dive deep into the supply chain attack, how it works, and what you can do to prevent it.

1. What is Supply Chain Attack?

A supply chain attack, commonly referred to as a value-chain of a third-party attack, occurs when an attacker accesses an organization’s networking by infiltrating a supplier or business partner that comes in contact with its data. Hackers generally tamper with the manufacturing process by installing hardware-based spying components or a rootkit. This attack aims to damage an organization’s reputation by targeting less secure elements in the supply chain network.

Supply chain attacks are designed to manipulate relationships between a company and external parties. These relationships may include vendor relationships, partnerships, or third-party software. Cybercriminals compromise an organization and then move up the supply chain to take advantage of trusted relationships and gain access to other organizations’ environments.

2. How does a supply chain attack work?

A Supply chain attack works by delivering malicious code or software through a supplier or vendor. These attacks use legitimate processes to get uninhibited access into an organization’s ecosystem. It starts with infiltrating a vendor’s security measures. This technique is much more straightforward than attacking a target directly due to many vendors’ unfortunate shortsighted security measures.

Penetration could occur through attack vectors. The malicious code requires embedding itself into a digitally signed process of its host once it is injected into a vendor’s ecosystem. A digital signature validates that a piece of software is authentic to the manufacturer permitting the transmission of software to all networked parties.

Compromised networks unknowingly distribute malicious code to the entire client network. The software patches facilitating the malicious payload contain a backdoor interacting with all third-party servers. It is the distribution point of the malicious software or code. A service provider could infect thousands of organizations with a single update that helps attackers achieve a higher magnitude of impact with less effort.

2.1. Example

Supply chain attacks allow attackers to infect multiple targets without deploying malicious code on each target’s machine. This increased efficiency boosts the prevalence of this attack technique. Here are some most common examples of supply chain attacks.

U.S government supply chain attack

This event is a pervasive example of supply chain attacks. In March 2020, nation-state criminals penetrated internal U.S government communication via a compromised update from a third-party vendor, SolarWinds. This attack infected up to 18,000 customers, including six U.S government departments.

Equifax supply chain attack

Equifax, one of the biggest credit card reporting agencies, faced a data breach through an application vulnerability on their website. This attack impacted over 147 million customers. The stolen data included driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, date of birth, and addresses of users.

Target supply chain attack

Target USA faced a significant data breach after hackers accessed the retailer’s critical data using a third-party HVAC vendor. Cybercriminals accessed financial information and Personal Identifiable Information (PII) that impacts 40 million debit and credit cards and 70 million customers. Hackers breached the HVAC third-party vendor using an email phishing attack.

Panama papers supply chain attack

Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca exposed over 2.6 terabytes of clients’ sensitive data in a breach. The attack leaked the devious tax evasion tactics of over 214,000 organizations and high-risk politicians. Law firms should be the most desirable target due to the treasure of sensitive and valuable customer data they store in their servers.

1. Impact of supply chain attacks

Any breach can be devastating, but a supply chain attack can be exponentially worse because the attacker usually has a high level of access to the network, which is hard to detect. This combination of factors highly increases the risk of a supply chain attack. The longer an attacker stays inside the target’s network, the more damage they can cause through ransomware, data theft, or other malware disruptions.

Supply chain attacks provide a criminal with another method of attacking an organization’s defenses. These attacks are commonly used to perform data breaches. Cybercriminals often manipulate supply chain vulnerabilities to deliver malicious code to a target organization.

2. How to Prevent Supply Chain Attacks?

Here are the tips to reduce the impact and risks of supply chain attacks.

• Determine who has access to critical data_ To manage complex footprints, organizations should map their third parties to data they handle for prioritizing risk management activities.
• Identify the assets at more significant risk_ Understanding assets more likely to be targeted, such as customers’ sensitive information or intellectual property, is crucial to preventing supply chain attacks. Security teams should monitor these assets using third-party risk management platforms, providing constant and fast visibility into threats within complex supply chains.
• Apply vendor access controls_ Cybercriminals look to access data using a path of least resistance to infiltrate an organization’s network through one of its suppliers. Apart from understanding the rights to access digital assets, organizations need to apply string perimeter controls for vendor access, such as network segmentation and multi-factor authentication. Service providers should only have access to the necessary information they require to provide services.
• Identify insider threats_ Whether due to lack of training, carelessness, or malicious intent, employees represent a considerable insider threat to information security. Targeting business partners or employees with phishing or social engineering campaigns is one of the standards and most accessible ways for cybercriminals to infiltrate a network. However, it is difficult to know when and how an attacker has compromised privileged access; a monitoring technology that can automatically alert security teams when a system gets compromised can help prevent supply chain attacks.

Conclusion

Protected Harbor enables businesses to take full control of their third-party security by constantly monitoring for vulnerabilities and data leakage that could be exported as part of a supply chain attack. Protected Harbor also helps organizations comply with a variety of security regulations, including the new supply chain criteria outlined in Vice President Biden’s Cybersecurity Executive Order.
Partner with Protected Harbor today to have access to more cutting-edge business and cyber security insights.

5 Benefits from a Professional IT Partner

Having a business partner brings a lot of benefits. Companies can work better by finding someone with the same visions and goals. Starting a business and running it is never an easy task. Small business owners across all industries, including the IT field, know the importance of partnership. They have to manage everything from setting up infrastructure, maintenance to customer services and security.

A technology partner can assist you across various issues, including IT support and managed services. Unmanaged and unreliable services might stifle a business’s expansion. Because IT has become the backbone of every industry, companies can benefit from partnering with managed IT service providers.

Having an MSP can bring value to a business by optimizing the technology. Almost every company uses the latest technology, and a managed IT provider can ensure reliable network, security, and customer support.

Benefits of Managed Services Providers

Keeping your organization at its peak is not easy. Many things can hinder the company’s growth, establishment, and security. Small businesses can’t stand alone and decide what is better for them. They should get managed services from IT partners that can give benefits to them.

There is a list of benefits that a company can get while having a professional IT partner. Here are some of them.

Support for Remote Workers

MSP offers network monitoring, maintenance, and security. They provide day-to-day support to systems with managed IT services. Collaboration with the remote team is a challenging task. But they come with unified communication tools that make it easier to collaborate securely.

Protected Harbor, a professional IT services company, offers remote help to businesses of all sizes. They provide a remote IT workforce that works safely and reliably, collaborates better with the firm, and gives IT help regardless of location.

Focus on Growth

Better IT partners are those who can handle whatever a company demands. They have working experience with small and large organizations. The purpose of an MSP is to provide reliable and smooth services to the client companies. An IT partner should quickly respond to your needs.

Protected Harbor offers scalability and focuses on growth according to a company’s needs. When someone is going to start a business, the only thing they focus on is growth. The technology partners for your business should have that in mind too. We have an infrastructure that can bear expansion and be customized according to the company’s needs without any pain.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan

Recovery systems and data backup help in a disaster recovery plan. Having an IT partner allows you to overcome these disasters. Protected Harbor is a technology partner that offers the best backup solutions according to your business needs. They have developed a business continuity plan that ensures protection, manages risks, and backups data. They identify the risk of disasters and the areas that require improvement and then offer a mature idea to survive global disasters.

Peace of Mind

Updates are necessary to ensure efficiency and maintain security. Businesses can rely on managed services providers who guarantee proactive solutions and better IT infrastructure. IT professionals remain up to date with the latest technologies and bring advancement to your business.

Protected Harbor offers 24/7 support and proactive maintenance as a trusted managed services provider. They detect vulnerabilities and prevent your organization from malicious attacks. With the best IT experts, they integrate security, optimize performance, and give IT support.

Budgeting your IT

Technology has now become a part of every business. With the evolution in Information technology, the budget for technical maintenance has also increased. Companies rely on technology to survive and stand in the marketplace. Employees can work better, faster, and reliably by implementing the latest equipment and technology.

IT budgeting is essential and lays the foundation for the success of an organization. Consider the value that IT brings to your business. Companies are not able to do this on their own. They should hire technology experts or collaborate with IT partners for better budgeting. Protected Harbor provides its services to plan IT budgets in a better way.

Conclusion

Not all partnerships go successful. It takes a lot of effort and time to find the right partner for your business. A project will be less risky and more successful if it is under the supervision of IT experts.

Don’t let the risks prevent your business from reaching its goals. IT professionals detect technical problems that can impact growth and offer support and security. They continuously try to find ways to improve their services and maximize the client companies’ benefits.

Protected Harbor is not just a managed service provider but your partner in growth and success. We create solutions specifically for you rather than reselling you a third-party product. Our expert technical team is available 24×7, with proactive remote monitoring, 99.99% uptime, 360-degree cybersecurity, and protection from all common threats. Contact us today for an IT audit and best solutions.

Microsoft Vulnerabilities and Solutions

Technological advancement in the current digital era has increased vulnerabilities in businesses using Microsoft products. It has affected most managed service providers (MSPs) as they have become primary targets of cyber attackers. Small businesses are also exposed to severe dangers as cybercriminals target them to exploit their systems and paralyze operations.

Microsoft vulnerabilities are the stuff that nightmares are made of for many companies. There are so many vulnerabilities in Microsoft systems that might leave you wondering why you even use Microsoft products. Well, the answer is simple — Microsoft products are fantastic. And, because it is so popular, it’s no wonder that there are so many vulnerabilities. The truth is that despite having so many vulnerabilities, Microsoft has come a long way in fixing them with their monthly updates. Here, we break down all critical Microsoft vulnerabilities and provide solutions to protect against them.

Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerability

What Happened?  

Microsoft exchange server vulnerability is a serious threat that has affected Microsoft recently. In March 2021, the company had to conduct an emergency patching after discovering four types of vulnerabilities known as ProxyLogon in its products. After Hafnium, a Chinese-based threat team invaded thousands of corporations, this incident occurred. The heightened security concerns and attacks forced the court to command the FBI to instantly eliminate Web shells that the intruders utilized to launch their invasions of companies. In September 2021, Proxy Token, another flaw in the Exchange Server, emerged, giving attackers a channel to copy or forward targeted emails to an account that an assailant controls.

How Dangerous Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerability Is For Small Businesses 

Microsoft exchange server vulnerability is a serious threat to small businesses. It contributes to organization data theft, leading to unauthorized access to company records. It also enables attackers to create malicious codes that give them remote administrative rights to access the company network. These practices can lead to the leaking of confidential customer information, which would later destroy the business image.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue

Small businesses have a variety of solutions to embrace to avoid Microsoft exchange server vulnerability. One of them entails configuring their Exchange framework to define change requests and validating any newly created files. Enterprises should also practice continuous patching of software to reduce the risk exposure.

Microsoft Patches Six Zero-Day Security Vulnerabilities

What Happened?  

In December 2021, Microsoft released patches for 67 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) in its products, 60 of which were essential and seven extremely critical, including six zero-day susceptibilities (https://cisomag.eccouncil.org/microsoft-december-2021-patch-tuesday/). These susceptibilities included CVE-2021-43890, which attackers utilized to distribute malware like BazarLoader, TrickBot, and Emotet. CVE-2021-43240 affected Windows NTFS by setting short names, which elevated privilege vulnerability. CVE-2021-41333 impacted Windows Print Spooler elements, while CVE-2021-43880 invaded Windows Mobile management appliances. CVE-2021-43893 interfered with windows file encryption systems, while CVE-2021-43883 interrupted the Windows installer.

How Dangerous Microsoft Patches Six Zero-Day Security Vulnerabilities Are For Small Businesses 

Microsoft patches six zero-day security vulnerabilities that are severe threats to small businesses. For example, they enable unsuspecting computer users to open infected files and documents. Attackers use this avenue to execute malicious malware codes. They also exploit susceptibilities via malicious programs like Bazaloader, Trickbot, and Emotet. Such elements contribute to the destruction of data backups and security infrastructure besides disclosing company critical information to intruders. Businesses that experience these factors make intensive capital and customers losses that affect their financial bases.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue.

Small industries have numerous solutions to Microsoft patches six zero-day security vulnerabilities. One of them includes using Microsoft-provided updates and installing them in their systems. Patching all Microsoft programs and software is also an important initiative for enterprises.

Windows Print Spooler Vulnerability

What Happened? 

Windows Print Spooler vulnerability is a severe threat in Microsoft systems. In 2021 July, Microsoft discovered another type of the above susceptibility known as CVE-2021-36958. This component gave local attackers a means of gaining access to SYSTEM privileges on their machines. This vulnerability misused Print features, Print drivers, and Windows print spooler settings configurations. Cyber attackers in this scenario connected to a remote printer server, and as a result, they could view, delete, change, and form new accounts with exclusive user rights.

How Dangerous Windows Print Spooler Vulnerability Is For Small Businesses  

Windows Print Spooler vulnerability is a risky sensation in small businesses that adversely affect their operations. When attackers access a compromised computer, they assign system and admin-level rights, making it hard for the users to detect the susceptibility quickly. Such characters can steal sensitive information and use it for malicious activities in the long run. The remote code execution in this kind of susceptibility destroys records and applications, generating significant losses to small businesses.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue

Enterprises have multiple ways to eliminate the Windows Print Spooler susceptibility. One of them entails applying CVE-2021-34527 security updates to secure their systems and configuring some registry settings to zero, including HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint, NoWarningNoElevationOnInstall, and UpdatePromptSettings. Another viable solution is disabling the sprinter spooler on susceptible workstations and servers.

Microsoft Exchange Autodiscover Vulnerability

What Happened?

Microsoft Exchange Autodiscover vulnerability is a severe system threat that has affected most businesses in 2021. This aspect led to the leaking of around 100,000 passwords and login names of users of the Windows domain all over the world (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-exchange-autodiscover-bugs-leak-100k-windows-credentials/). Researchers identified that the primary cause of this problem was the wrong execution of Autodiscover protocol. As a result, the system sent personal details to third parties and untrusted sites.

How Dangerous Microsoft Exchange Autodiscover Vulnerability Is For Small Businesses 

Microsoft Exchange Autodiscover vulnerability exposes an entire organization to severe dangers. Attackers use this mechanism to get genuine credentials to access user accounts and disseminate ransomware. As a result, they infect company records and steal sensitive information such as customer and financial details, which they can later use to execute malicious activities. Such issues can tarnish the enterprise’s reputation, thus negatively affecting its revenue generation methods as clients shifts to other providers.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue

Businesses have multiple ways of mitigating Microsoft Exchange Autodiscover susceptibility. One of them includes blocking all the Autodiscover. [tld] domains in their DNS servers or firewall. This initiative ensures that their devices do not connect with such parts. Disabling Basic authentication is another effective mechanism that prevents the dissemination of credentials in explicit texts.

Microsoft Azure Customers’ Data Leak by WIZ Researchers

What Happened?  

A data breach is a serious threat to businesses and a prevalent issue in the current digital society. For instance, the Microsoft Azure customers’ data disclosure occurred in February 2021, where WIZ researchers obtained databases and accounts of thousands of Microsoft Azure customers, including Coca-Cola and ExxonMobil, in the Fortune 500 companies’ category. Information technology specialists discovered that the primary cause of this catastrophe was clients’ misconfiguration of Microsoft Azure. After Wiz examiners from Israel informed Microsoft about the issue, the company resolved it instantly.

How Dangerous Microsoft Azure Customers’ Data Leak Is For Small Businesses 

Data leakage can be a bad experience in a company if the leaked information lands in the hands of malicious individuals. If businesses encounter the scenario mentioned above, cyber attackers illegally access enterprise data, including customer particulars, and can later use it for ill purposes such as money theft.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue.

Small businesses experiencing Microsoft Azure customers’ data leak security problems can employ techniques such as requesting their clients to modify their login particulars as a precautionary measure. They can also ensure consistent updates of Azure containers used to patch known vulnerabilities. Such enterprises should also encourage their customers to utilize security software that quickly detects malicious attacks to ensure that they instantly respond to them once they occur.

Microsoft MSHTML

What Happened?  

In September 2021, Microsoft revealed the prevalence of a remote code execution (RCE) susceptibility in MSHTML, also called Trident. The threat allowed hackers to launch arbitrary programs on a victim’s computer through ActiveX control, which they sent through spear-phishing. Using the CVE-2021-40444 vulnerability, the intruder crafts malicious ActiveX using the Microsoft Office document hosting the browser. This individual then convinces users to open the harmful document, and the hazardous program executes on opening it. Cyber attackers, in this case, target Office 365 on diverse versions of the Windows operating systems.

How Dangerous Microsoft MSHTML Vulnerability Is For Small Businesses

Microsoft MSHTML vulnerability enables attackers to execute harmful codes from the logged-in user, which in the long run compromises the network and computer systems. This phenomenon gives ways for the attackers to steal essential records and sensitive data as they have total control of the system. Data theft can adversely affect the business’s reputation and lead to the loss of customers. In severe cases, enterprises become challenging to operate, leading to their closure.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue Microsoft MSHTML Vulnerability

Small business should train their employees to avoid opening documents from individuals they do not know to hinder Microsoft MSHTML vulnerability. System users should also shun disabling Microsoft protected view option in the office suite to allow the read-only capability of files and thwart the introduction of malicious contents. Enterprises should also disable ActiveX control through modification of the appropriate registry keys. They should also enable Application Guard, a security container that separates an individuals’ data from unknown records.

Manageengine Adselfservice plus Vulnerabilities

What Happened? 

In its application programming interface, the ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus vulnerability was initially discovered on 8th September 2021. ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus allowed users to reset and update passwords details on the directory. Research by the U.S. cyber security personnel showed that this susceptibility targeted U.S. companies. The threat allowed hackers to execute arbitrary codes on user systems, thus enabling them to take control of the computer system and install malware programs.

How Dangerous ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus Vulnerabilities Is For Small Businesses 

ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus vulnerabilities cause devastating results in small enterprises, including loss of sensitive company and customer records. Another drawback of the threat mentioned above in corporations entails intensive disruption of operations and subversion of company focus. Such issues can severely affect a firm and even lead to its discontinuation.

Ways Small Businesses Can Fix This Issue

Small businesses should practice frequent updating of internet interfaces of the ADSelfService Plus to enhance protection against ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus vulnerabilities. It is also always advisable for enterprises to frequently review their system security recommendations and make the necessary changes.

Wrapping it up

It’s essential to update your Microsoft software to protect yourself and because your customers should have the best experience possible with your products.

The fact that you’re reading this means you care about computer security. That’s great! Because we do too. As Microsoft continues to find new and exciting ways to keep your data secure, we will continue to bring you the latest news and advice on staying protected in a fast-paced digital world.

Protected Harbor is your one-stop solution for all IT needs, including data center real-time monitoring, 99.99% uptime, safety, and security. We are not just your regular MSP; we treat clients as partners and build a solution from scratch according to your business needs and requirements. We want to know how we deliver an unmatched experience; our expert IT team is dedicated to satisfying your needs. That’s not it; learn more here; contact us now.

Google Workspace, Slack, or Microsoft Teams: Which is safest for your business?

With the onset of the pandemic and transformation in workplace behaviors, remote work has reached a climax. Many companies face the same question – what is the best collaboration tool for working at home? Businesses are rushing to use collaborative software to keep their productivity high in these uncertain times.

There are many options, but we decided to delve deeper into; Google Workspace vs. Slack vs. Microsoft Teams’ positive and negative security features.

Microsoft Team Positive Features

• Teams enforces team-expansive and organization-wide two-factor authentication
• Single sign-on through Active Directory and data encryption in transit and at rest.

Microsoft Team Negative Features

• A flaw in Microsoft Teams could allow a hostile actor to view a victim’s chats and steal sensitive data. An actor might set up a malicious tab in an unpatched version of Teams that would provide them access to their private documents and communications when opened by the victim. (Source: the daily swig)
• Users in teams do not have the structure from the beginning. You don’t know which channels you need or which channels you should build most of the time. The maximum number of channels per team has been limited to 100. This feature should not be a problem for smaller units, but it may cause difficulties for larger groups. When the predefined limit is exceeded, specific channels must be terminated.
• Over time, users get increasingly accustomed to and proficient at what they do. You can’t switch channels or reproduce teams right now; thus, creating Team blocks isn’t very flexible. This frequently wastes time because manual replications become the only option.

Slack Positive Features

• Improve communication between departments and improve the ability to contact and notify people quickly. The user interface has a unique look and feels with various color schemes.
• This speeds up the update process, and the two-factor authentication provided by Google Authenticator is reliable and error-free.
• Using Slack on mobile devices is as easy as using the desktop version, and the huddle feature makes it even more convenient.

Slack Negative Features

• 1 Working with larger teams is not a good experience as you might experience glitches and connection unreliability now and then.
• Searching should be enhanced; it is currently unorganized. Grouping allows you to evaluate if the findings are helpful in the future. DMs, for example, and channels are examples.
• Notifications for mobile and desktop don’t always operate in sync. The system is also out of sync when going from desktop to mobile. There’s a lack of consistency in the workflow there.

Google Workspace Positive features

• Focus on collaboration: Google workspace is a dream for companies that need intensive cooperation in many ways.
• It’s based on the cloud and is always connected to Google’s cloud storage and file-sharing platform, Drive.
• Email: Gmail referrals are rarely needed. It is the world’s most popular email client, strengthening its market position with excellent security tools, an easy-to-use interface, and numerous features ideal for business and personal use.

Google Workspace Negative Features

• Document conversion issues: You may have problems converting Google Sheets and documents to Microsoft documents and PDF formats. You need to find a third-party app to help with the conversion. There’s something a little…flat about Google workspace and Docs integration. Yes, it’s a word processor, so there’s not much to do with it, but the compatibility issues hinder the experience.
• Takes hours: It may take some time to import data or documents from other external sources into the system. File management is a pain. The entire process feels clumsy, leading to a great deal of disorganization inside our company.
• Instead of downloading individual software onto your mobile device, you’d wish there was an option to download the complete Gsuite into one app. Because Gsuite is essentially confined within a single browser, users expect all apps to be in one spot.

Technology has gone far over the years, and the effect from the COVID 19 gave birth to the introduction of several electronic offices where members of an organization can meet and discuss issues they could have done when they physically met. This work has compared the pros and cons of each platform and is considering Google Workspace with its specific qualities and consideration of future security.

Solution: Create a high-speed remote desktop hosted virtually on a private server… like we have.. what a coincidence…

Why Are Cloud Services Taking Over?

With the rising popularity of cloud services, many businesses are migrating to create their remote servers. There are many reasons you might choose cloud services over setting up your hardware, but all business owners should consider simple economics.

The days when businesses had to rely on the availability, provision, and ability to have huge spaces to run their operations are long gone. The world has evolved, and startups are flourishing because they are facilitated. No office turns into a small space, then eventually into a vast building rapidly. What enables all of this is the Cloud.

One benefit of this is that you can use several tools and features to protect your data from intruders and hackers who might otherwise gain access to any information stored on your primary server. Cloud storage space is often much cheaper than in-house. Cloud Services are taking over due for a plethoric number of reasons. Henceforth let us have a look at them in detail.

Improved Storage and Convenient Backup

Storage is provided to businesses through massive servers contained in the Cloud. Therefore, companies do not need to rent out prominent places to hold their servers or buy such servers. Then, there is also the presence of excellent backups since the Cloud service providers have their backup servers and are responsible for it. It is their job to back things up and not the businesses’. This also leads to a drastic improvement in its performance to its clients.

Scalability, Flexibility, and Performance

In an excellent turn of events for businesses, Cloud Technology has been designed to be scaled to match the alternating IT requirements of companies. Therefore, as a company grows, it is evident that more storage space and bandwidth will be required to keep up with the ever-increasing traffic on its applications, websites, and other services. So, to accommodate the re-scaling of companies and ensure optimum performance under heavy loads, Cloud servers can be deployed automatically. This also improves speed and minimizes downtime of web applications, amongst many others.

Cost-Efficiency

As we have seen above, the lack of required space and servers significantly reduces the running costs through Cloud services. Overhead costs related to software updates, server hardware updates, and server management also reduce this. Another thing that facilitates this decrease in operational expenses is that Cloud services can be used on a pay-per-use basis. As a result, businesses can utilize the same benefits they want and guarantee a return on their investments.

Lack of Responsibility Towards Malware Attacks and Data Protection

The data of businesses fall under the responsibility of the Cloud service provider. At face value, it may seem unsafe since another company has access to your business’s data. However, this is far from reality.

Your business data is kept secure due to exceptionally well-rounded and dexterously designed contracts, with accentuation given to even the tiniest details. Therefore, once a malware attack comes into motion, your business is not the liable party; it is the company acting as the Cloud service provider.

This opens the doors to many advantages. When a malware attack occurs, a business utilizing a Cloud service can go on its merry way and continue focusing on improving its services. At the back-end, the Cloud service provider will take care of removing the actual malware.

• Automatic Software Updates

Through automatic software updates, Cloud service providers can ensure that whatever issue caused a breach can be covered. Since the business software at play is running on the Cloud servers, the provider can step in seamlessly to remove the malware.

• Automatic Software Integration

Once a newer methodology to prevent malware attacks or data leakages rolls out, the new feature will be distributed to all users using the business service, whether in an application or a website. Again, the business’ service is running on the Cloud service provider’s server, so one updation in the Cloud servers updates the distributed version for all users.

There is no reliance on each hardware component needing to be updated in a company since all its workers and users will be incorporating software that runs on the Cloud.

In the case of a backup failure, there is no need to worry since a Cloud service has multiple backups. For any business, creating such backups will prove to be tedious, overwhelming, and perhaps even out of reach to manage on-premises.

Similarly, covering up is a headache for the Cloud service provider when there is data leakage. For a business, it will be business as usual, as they say.

Business Continuation

There is always that element of risk involved when it comes to businesses. Unforeseen circumstances could cause a company to go bankrupt, and if it is based entirely on the Cloud, it may never be able to recover. This is because it has to sell all its offices, which would entail the servers present and all the other equipment when there is a lack of finances. A sophisticated backup may not be present in data loss situations since it is expensive and likely to be located on the same site. Therefore, all company data might be lost when a natural disaster occurs.

This is where Cloud service providers kick in, whether a business disaster or a natural disaster. A business can go online and remote if it is forced to sell all its offices due to financial constraints, thus reducing its costs instead of firing its employees or shutting down. There is simply no issue in case of data corruption or loss since Cloud service providers are both experienced and can provide multiple reliable backups.

The above results in the continuity of a business even under challenging times and situations.

Conclusion

All the reasons mentioned above make it imperative for a business to desire to incorporate Cloud services to accomplish its endeavors and run its operations. Since the entire world runs on companies, whether small or large, Cloud services are taking over!

Businesses are moving to cloud-based services because it makes their security and management more effortless. Since all data is stored on remote servers, there’s less risk of data theft or loss, which is a massive benefit for any company. Going with a private cloud service also means that you only have to pay for what you use, saving you money in the long run.

If you’re still on the fence about a move to the cloud, consider all of its benefits, then move to a cloud service provider or an MSP. From accessibility to cost savings, the cloud is an essential business tool that can help streamline practically every aspect of your business. Now is the time to upgrade to a private cloud.

The private cloud by Protected Harbor is more than just a backup solution. It improves the speed and efficiency of your business by providing flexibility, cost control, and enhanced security. With its multi-tenant design, you have access to all the advantages of a cloud solution without the risk of compromising security or performance. And with the ability to interconnect with the public cloud, you can take advantage of cost-effective solutions whenever they are available. Please take the next step to upgrade; contact.

Why Quality Assurance Sucks And What To Do About It?

THIS IS WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN:   Why Quality Assurance Sucks – Traditional quality assurance only covers the application layer of a business’s software stack. Your IT company cannot verify whether an application, specific functions, or the entire system will respond reliably under extreme loads or unusual circumstances. A failure at any software stack or application layer can disrupt your customer and cost you money.  If your IT company uses traditional QA testing methods, they will never catch problem conditions before they happen. At Protected Harbor, we simulate events on mirror stacks that we know have the potential to cause problems, like network latency. Our engineers proactively attack these issues by affecting how clients’ systems respond to failures in a safe and controlled environment.

Quality assurance (QA) means avoiding issues in delivering solutions or services to clients by preventing mistakes or flaws in manufactured items.

It is a significant part of setting up a network system. Its importance grows with the network-related project complexity. QA workers need to organize and plan system maintenance to avoid interruptions.

Performing network security checks for data protection and the network’s backup plan is crucial to maintaining a good quality network. Moreover, other job responsibilities should also be considered and executed efficiently, such as managing the installation, testing, and troubleshooting voice and data network systems. Negligence of these primary responsibilities can be trouble for the customers.

1. The Indefinite Vision Of Quality

The core of an operational QA program is total commitment. The problems related to quality assurance programs mainly arise from not having a distinct target or aim to achieve.

Everyone is aware of the importance of QA, but is your QA team inspired to maintain a creative perspective and ready to go out of the way to achieve their goal? If not, then let’s delve in deep and look out if they are treated as essential members of the team? We don’t think so.

Mostly QA team is hired from a pool of fresh-faced teenagers eager to get into the business in whatever way they can. Quality Assurance standards very rarely go beyond the performance benchmark.

2. Lack Of QA Guidelines

Insufficient guidelines are significant problems that arise while discussing “Why Quality Assurance Sucks.”

Most of the time, many different QA engineers are trusted with the responsibility of QA for a single network project. Since each engineer uses a different testing style, maintaining the testing framework becomes messy. No proper rule or guideline is provided to the employees for executing the

3. Lack Of Resources And Time

Indeed working with poor network performance is a challenge for network engineers. With the absence of appropriate equipment at endpoints and midpoints along the way, it’s out of the question to provide the high-speed communication needed by today’s applications.

Moreover, the QA responsibility has only been given to the QA workers, as it is believed that each department has its responsibilities. The management is not interested in demanding quality work from the whole staff. All in all, they have not felt responsible for fixing errors or flaws that challenge quality. Due to the sufficient amount of tasks and insufficient amount of time, working becomes distressing for QA workers.

4. Lack Of Technology

Technology allows firms to improve remarkably and enhances their skillsets greatly. Numerous technical tools can assist QA companies, but they are resistant to use. Moreover, negligence of the problems has also been noticed in this domain.

Although several companies spot issues and deficiencies, they are not ready to invest in quality equipment. The company needs to promptly repair and replace the equipment to flourish and be successful. It could break the rhythm of QA if it is not ensured that the same set of tools produces consistent results.

5. Reward Structure And Lack Of Motivation

Everybody who hires the network engineers objects to the QA performance. But nobody considers the reason behind it. If the maximum incentive given to a QA worker is to become a leader and then move to another department, how much can a QA care about their job? Not much, right? Moreover, several employees are hired on contract at low wages, then get let go when a project is complete.

How Can Quality Assurance Be Made More Effective?

• QA workers should be instructed not to cut corners and sacrifice their company’s long-term interests for short-term gains.
• Giving proper development guidelines will help increase the maintainability of testing automation chambers. Early implementation of these guidelines can prevent headaches while managing IT services.
• Moreover, creating specific hiring standards will help hire the right employees and know their expectations.
• QA programs should maintain consistent quality, such as evaluating the evaluators regularly and documenting all the QA definitions; this can help in Application Outage Avoidance (AOA).
• Finally and most importantly, QA engineers should be respected and rewarded for the quality of their work rather than the number of bugs they identify.

Final Thoughts

Quality assurance is an essential part of the network system. But this system faces several important issues that arise and form hindrances in progress.

Acknowledging these issues as soon as possible can ensure the QA jobs’ reliability and enhance the Data Protection facility. Also, make sure that everyone is on the same page and working toward the same objective of producing error-free software.

Protected Harbor is a US-based IT firm that provides a full range of services for corporate technology issues, including malware, spyware, virus protection, cloud-based access, support, repair, and other IT help. We provide technological stability and durability to businesses, allowing computers, data centers, and apps to work smoothly.

At Protected Harbor, you’ll benefit from a solid quality assurance program. Our QA software is intended to make quality assurance as simple, accessible, and inclusive as possible in every workplace. We simulate events on mirror stacks that we know can cause problems, like network latency. Our engineers proactively attack these issues by acting on how clients’ systems respond to failures in a safe and controlled environment.

Uptime is a Priority for Every Business

In today’s highly competitive market, it becomes tough to stand out. Businesses are desperately struggling to get any advantage over competitors in your market space, even a small one. There is a lot of talk about speed, security, or cost, but an even more critical factor that web software companies don´t fully value: uptime.

What is uptime?

You may have already heard the word “uptime” at a conference or read it in an article. The uptime is when a web page stays connected online each day, and it is listed as an average percentage, for example, 99.7%. There is also its evil twin, downtime, which is the number of seconds, minutes, or hours that a website is not working, preventing users from accessing it.

Also, uptime is the best way to measure the quality of a web hosting provider or a server. If the provider shows a high uptime rate, it guarantees good performance.

Why should uptime be a priority for my company?

Consider what you’d feel if you tried to access a webpage on your computer, but it wouldn’t load. What would be your initial impression of that website? According to studies, 88 percent of online users are hesitant to return to a website after a negative first impression. What good is it to invest so much time, money, and effort on your website if no one visits it? What’s the purpose of working on a website if it doesn’t work when it matters most?

All hosting and server businesses often offer high uptime rates, but the trees do not obscure the forest. Although 99 percent may appear to be a large number, it indicates that your website may be down for over two hours over a week, which would be devastating to a heavily trafficked website.

When it comes to uptime, you must consider every second because you never know if a second of downtime could make a difference compared to your competitors’ websites. Those critical seconds result in a loss of Internet traffic, financial loss, a drop in Google SEO ranking, and a loss of reputation, among other issues.

Even a difference between 99.90% and 99.99% in uptime can be crucial. In the first case, your website would suffer downtime of 11 minutes per week, while with an uptime of 99.99%, your web page’s rest would be reduced to only one minute per week. It may cost more money to get that efficiency advantage, but it’s worth the investment.

Perfection is impossible

Despite what has already been stated, you must be aware that no one, not even the best provider in the world, can guarantee absolute perfection, especially since servers are still physical machines susceptible to external (hacking attacks, power outages, or natural disasters) as well as internal (human errors, DNS or CMS problems, hardware/software problems, server overloads) threats that can bring your website offline.

It would be best if you also remembered that these dangers are unpredictable events, and although we can prepare contingency plans, we will never know the exact moment when the threat will arrive. The world isn’t perfect, and your website won’t be up and running 100% of the time forever and ever.

It is also essential to understand that not all downtime is the same. For example, scheduled server maintenance from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. is very different and less damaging than an unexpected drop at noon. That is why it’s highly recommended to save and use backups of your website precisely for these emergencies and choose a good provider.

The best solution

The safest way that providers offer us to guarantee an excellent uptime is the dedicated server hosting as a service. You will enjoy full and exclusive access to the server, using all its resources to optimize your website to the maximum without having to share it with anyone.

You can configure your dedicated server hosting to your liking from the control panel (though make sure your provider also has 24/7 technical support for possible eventualities); you have more hosting space and capacity that you can use as you wish; you don’t have to worry about the hardware (which the provider takes care of), and they are flexible enough to manage high-visibility pages, reducing vulnerabilities.

Among other valuable tips, it would be an excellent idea to use a website monitoring service to monitor the performance of your site 24/7, receiving an immediate notification if downtime occurs. Additionally, this is a handy way to verify the reliability of your hosting provider’s warranties.

Another practical option is to use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to download the portion of your website’s content to servers that are closer to your users geographically. CDNs are very useful for increasing a website’s speed and, more importantly, reducing the number of events that cause downtime, thus freeing up space on your primary server and reducing tension. Check with your hosting provider to see whether a CDN is included in their package.

A dedicated hosting server may seem like a relatively expensive solution, but keeping your website online for as long as possible is worth all the necessary investments.

Conclusion

Current trends reveal tremendous pressure to maintain and improve high uptime rates, with sustained growth in demand over the last decade. In the future, experts hope that it will be possible to achieve an uptime of 100% since, with the arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT), this requirement will become essential for our daily lives.

A reliable hosting provider provides you with state-of-the-art server infrastructure and ensures a smooth performance of day-to-day business operations. Compared to traditional or shared hosting, which is resource-limited and lacks reliability, VPS hosting features a fully dedicated private server for your exclusive use. This makes it ideal for startups and médium to large businesses seeking an affordable eCommerce web hosting service in the US to fulfill their essential needs of running a successful online business.

One of the most common questions we’re asked at Protected Harbor is, “what kind of uptime can I expect from your hosting?” It’s not a wrong question — when choosing a hosting service for business, you want to know that your website or servers will be available.

We are the Uptime monitoring specialists. We monitor the uptime of your sites and applications to detect downtime before you or your users do. Contact us today to know how with a dedicated and experienced team, we deliver unmatched flexibility, reliability, safety, and security and exceed clients’ expectations.

FBI: Russian hackers spy on, scour energy sector of the US; 5 companies targeted

According to a March 18 FBI advice to US businesses received by CNN, hackers affiliated with Russian internet addresses have been examining the networks of five US energy corporations as a possible preliminary to hacking operations.
As the Russian military suffers significant casualties in Ukraine and Western sanctions on the Kremlin begin to bite, the FBI alert only days before President Joe Biden openly warned that Russian-linked hackers could target US companies.

Key Highlights:

• According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, at least five U.S. energy businesses and 18 others in critical infrastructure sectors have seen “abnormal scanning” from Russian-linked IP addresses, according to a Friday bulletin first published by CBS News on March 22.
• The behavior “certainly suggests early phases of reconnaissance, searching networks for vulnerabilities for use in potential future attacks.”
• In a statement, Dennis Hackney, senior director of industrial cybersecurity services development at ABS Group, stated, “It is not surprising that Russia would activate its most effective war-fighting tools online.” “State-sponsored cyberattacks are difficult to attribute definitively,” he added.
• On Monday, Biden warned business executives, “The enormity of Russia’s cyber capability is fairly consequential, and it’s coming.” Read more here.
• Although no breaches have been established due to the scanning, the FBI advises the latest in a series of warnings from US officials to critical infrastructure operators about the possibility of Russian hacking. Biden’s public notice was broad and aimed to raise awareness of the problem, whereas the FBI advice was intended for a private, technical audience to help firms defend their networks.

An overview of the situation

In an address to the Detroit Economic Club, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that federal law enforcement is “working closely” with cyber personnel in the private sector and abroad to assess potential threats.

“With the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, we’re focusing especially on the catastrophic cyber threat posed by Russian intelligence services and the cybercriminal groups they defend and promote,” Wray added. “We have cyber personnel collaborating closely with Ukrainians and other allies overseas, corporate sector, and local partners.”

Wray’s remarks come four days after the FBI warned that vital infrastructure providers were under attack, particularly the energy sector.

According to CBS News, the FBI warning instructed: “US Energy Sector companies to analyze current network traffic for these IP addresses and initiate follow-up investigations if discovered.”

However, the FBI advisory does not specify if the “scanning” is a new threat.
“I’m not sure what this announcement is supposed to mean,” independent security consultant Tom Alrich said in an email. “Probably every large utility in the country is scanned thousands of times an hour, 24 hours a day, by bad actors, so I’m not sure what this announcement means.”

An attack on crucial infrastructure, according to experts, might be interpreted as a war crime, giving a nation-state actor pause. The most adept attackers, on the other hand, maybe able to conceal their origins, according to Hackney.

“He explained that the higher the sum of money, the better the cybercriminals’ capacity to hide who they are and how they are funded. “Because state-sponsored threat actors might have large funds, they are usually adept at concealing their true ties. As a result, assigning blame is impossible.”

President Joe Biden has warned Russia that “we are prepared to retaliate” if it “pursues cyberattacks against our industries, our key infrastructure.” For months, the federal government has been striving to improve the protection of 16 critical industries, including energy, communications, finance, and agriculture. On Monday, President Trump released a statement reinforcing previous warnings that Russia could use harmful cyber activity to retaliate for economic penalties imposed by the US and other countries.

Utilities in the United States have stated that they are “closely monitoring” the situation in Ukraine and that they are collaborating with their peers and the federal government.

“Russia has the capability to launch cyberattacks in the United States that have localized, temporary disruptive effects on critical infrastructures, such as temporarily shutting down an electrical distribution network.,” according to the assessment by Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Safety Tips from Protected Harbor

Protected Harbor’s security team has been following the matter for a long time and continues to emphasize cybersecurity. Some tips from our experts on how you can protect your business from cyberattacks:

• Install firewalls and other advanced protections at workstations and network equipment such as routers and switches to detect unauthorized activity by hackers who might try compromising your system remotely through internet connections.
• Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan- Always back up data before it is lost in case of an attack. Ensure that all devices are constantly updated with the latest antivirus software available. Password protection should be enabled not just on computers but also on any mobile device or tablet someone may have access to.
• Know your organization’s pain points and consider how to protect them. Understand that cybersecurity is not just about protecting data but also ensuring resiliency so services can continue when attacked or compromised
• Consider security from end-to-end; it’s essential to have a sound strategy for both physical and digital assets on-site and remote access via mobile devices.
• Be aware of what you share online: make sure all social media posts are set appropriately (e.g., don’t post sensitive information like passwords); be cautious with attachments in emails; choose strong passwords that are different than those used elsewhere because they may get stolen by cybercriminals.
• Logging tools such as Palo Alto Network’s next-generation firewalls should be used to monitor for odd activities (NGFW) continuously. The records should subsequently be examined daily to detect any irregularities.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all websites, accounts, systems, and network logins, particularly emails. A user’s mobile device is loaded with an application that generates a series of random codes during the login procedure. The code, as well as the password, must be entered by the user.
• Patch any vulnerabilities and software, including older versions. If you merely patch against known attacks, you risk being caught due to an unknown exposure. Patch your computers, networks, webpages, mobile apps, and anything else connected to the Internet.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently issued a notice listing 13 known vulnerabilities that Russian state-sponsored hackers have used to attack networks. Criminals use gaps to penetrate systems. Therefore network cybersecurity and network protection are critical for a company’s safety.

Recent cyber-attacks on government websites were carried out with simple tools. The website crashed due to multiple users accessing it at the same time. As shown in this piece, cyberwar threatens Western governments and agencies. To increase their security, businesses must take proactive actions.

Protected Harbor assists businesses in defending themselves and their IT operations against known and unknown threats, such as malware, ransomware, viruses, and phishing. We help organizations back up their data and prevent data loss due to ransomware attacks or other security issues. Learn more about Protected Harbor and request a free IT audit to learn how we can assist you in defending against the Russian Cyber Invasion.

Biden Warns of Russia Cyberattack on US Businesses & Economy

The United States Government has warned privately-held American firms about the growing threat of cyberattacks from Russian hackers.

President Biden warned on Monday that Russia is considering launching cyberattacks on the US businesses in revenge for the economic sanctions placed on Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.

The President advised private sector organizations in the United States to tighten their cybersecurity against a potential Russian breach in a statement released days before he travels to Brussels for a NATO summit.

“It’s part of Russia’s playbook,” President Biden said in the statement. “Today, my administration is renewing those concerns, based on increasing data indicating the Russian government is considering hacking possibilities.”

I’ve previously warned about the potential that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the U.S. Today, I’m reiterating those warnings based on evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks. https://t.co/wO2jJgg5SJ

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 21, 2022

According to Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for cyber and new technology, the administration has no evidence of a specific, significant potential cyberattack against the United States but rather “preparatory activities” targeting critical infrastructure.

Key Findings:

• The US government has been more cautious about Russian hackers’ activities, even as it accuses Moscow of meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
• The private warnings respond to mounting concerns from companies such as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) that hackers are targeting in Russia and other countries.
• The private, non-public warnings, first reported by Bloomberg, also signal the growing concern among US officials, who have been reluctant to publicly discuss alleged Russian hacking activities.
• The private warnings also come as President Joe Biden’s administration reviews options to retaliate against Russia for its alleged hacking activities.

As the crisis in Ukraine rages, the US has previously warned that Russia may attempt to attack US corporations. According to Ms. Neuberger, the Biden administration’s warning on Monday was an attempt to raise awareness of Russia’s ability to launch a digital attack on American infrastructure.

Ms. Neuberger stated that the administration had lately noticed “preparatory behavior” for future hacking of American infrastructure and had shared that knowledge with businesses in a secret briefing last week. Scanning websites for flaws is one example of this type of action. Ms. Neuberger stated unequivocally that Russian hacking of essential infrastructures, such as oil and energy firms and hospital systems, continues to be a serious concern.

“There’s so much more we need to do to the confidence that we’ve shut our digital doors, especially for Americans’ important services,” Ms. Neuberger said, noting that the private sector manages most of America’s critical infrastructure. “Those owners and operators have the power and obligation to harden the systems and networks we all rely on.”

Last week, the White House briefed more than 100 US corporations on the best ways to guard against a cyberattack. On Monday, the Trump administration issued a directive to businesses to “quickly reinforce your cyber defenses,” recommending actions such as enabling multifactor authentication, ensuring data backups offline, and teaching personnel on hacking techniques.

In the statement, Mr. Biden added, “You have the authority, the capacity, and the obligation to increase the cybersecurity and resilience of the key services and technology Americans rely on.”

Protected Harbor’s Take On The Issue

As one of the top cybersecurity firms in the US, Protected Harbor has been following the matter for a long time. Last week Richard Luna, CEO of Protected Harbor, had a session with SCMagazine about how U.S. businesses can protect themselves from Russian cybersecurity attacks.

He gave the following tips on how to protect from Russian cyber-attacks.

• A solid and robust firewall is a must that can be backed up by effective anti-virus software running on all devices in your network.
• Install network segmentation or ‘air gapping,’ which prevents data transfer between networks without proper authorization. This process also limits potential damage if one part of your system gets hacked as it will not spread across the whole company’s systems afterward, potentially destroying them all at once.
• Continuous monitoring for the unusual activity should be done through logging tools like Palo Alto Network’s next-generation firewalls (NGFW). The logs should then be analysed daily, so any anomalies are immediately noticed.
• Enable MFA for all websites, accounts, systems, and network logins, especially emails. A typical method is that an application is loaded on the users’ mobile device generating a series of random codes during the login process. The user is requested to enter the code along with the password.
• Patch for all vulnerabilities and software, even the old ones. Do not take shortcuts because if you only patch against known attacks, you may get caught due to an unknown vulnerability. Patch your systems, networks, websites, mobile applications, and everything on the Internet.

US Businesses need to quickly identify vulnerabilities, exposure, and misconfigurations that can give opportunities to hackers for gaining a foothold in their IT infrastructure and then implement relevant patches. Russian operators are well known for exploiting edge systems.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has put an alert recently that lists 13 known vulnerabilities used by Russian state-sponsored criminals to compromise networks. Network cybersecurity and network protection are essential for a company’s safety, as criminals detect the loopholes to infiltrate the system.

The recent attacks on government sites were carried out using trivial tools. Multiple users accessed the website at the same time causing a crash. Western governments and agencies are also at risk of cyberwar, as we have discussed in this article. Businesses need to take proactive measures to strengthen their security.

Protected Harbor can help organizations protect themselves and their IT operations from known and unknown attacks, including all forms of malware, ransomware, viruses, and phishing. We help businesses back up their data and prevent ransomware attacks or other security issues resulting in data loss. Learn more about Protected Harbor and reach out for a free IT Audit to see how we can help against the Russian Cyber Invasion.