You are here

Home » Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity

OT Cybersecurity Resilience – The Importance of Asset Visibility

Some of the cybersecurity guidance – do this; don’t do that – may seem frustrating and even irritating to defenders at times. As organizations of all types and sizes are currently dealing with an unprecedented volume and frequency of ransomware attacks, much of “said” guidance is being repeated and amplified. Some pundits have rightfully chided that the guidance isn’t always helpful, practical, or even attainable for most organizations. However, perhaps one thing could arguably be an exception – asset management.

Federal Ransomware Resources

With ransomware having direct and indirect impact on OT environments and industrial operations in recent weeks, there has been no shortage of guidance and resources being posted. To that end, CISA and NIST independently published two resources on June 9, 2021 to help critical infrastructure asset owners and operators bolster their preparedness against this national crisis.

Donuts and Data Types – Compromised Credentials Findings from the 2021 Verizon DBIR

For those of us who still have not made time to delve into the data, details, and drollery that is the 2021 Verizon DBIR, our partners at Flashpoint have dared to dredge the delightful document. After diligent dissection, Flashpoint declares one theme jumps out: compromised credentials are an issue for organizations of all industries, regions, and sizes. Specifically, according to the 2021 DBIR, “We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again—everyone loves credentials.

IoT Privacy Awareness – Amazon Sidewalk Goes Live Today

Always on IoT certainly has its benefits, but typically not without some risk. The key is to understand and weigh the risk versus reward, including the default (enabled or disabled) status of “said” benefits. To that end, Amazon rolled out its Sidewalk feature today across supported Alexa and Ring devices and enabled it by default. Amazon Sidewalk uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to broadcast low-bandwidth wireless signals, potentially up to a half-mile away.

Action Recommended: VMware vCenter Server – Actors Attempting to Exploit Unpatched Software

General guidance statement: Due to on-going compromises being observed across multiple activity campaigns (e.g. SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, Fortinet FortiOS, Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) SSL VPN) and exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities (e.g., VMware, Microsoft Exchange) in recent months, asset owners are encouraged to review and address all vulnerability notifications and updates related to products in use within their environment in a timely fashion.

ICS Security and the Insider Threat – Misconfiguration Issues are a Threat to Safety

Misconfigurations of an IT system might shut systems down, misroute traffic, or bring communications to a halt. Those outcomes are frustrating and negatively impact the availability of data, but misconfigurations within OT/ICS networks have the potential to go beyond a little annoyance and inconvenience and could expose industrial operations to hazardous scenarios that threaten the safety of the system, the environment, or human life. Misconfigurations are caused by people, and people make unintentional mistakes.

Critical Infrastructure Still Under Fire – Two Passenger Transportation Entities Impacted by Cyber Attacks

In a seeming continuously growing list of attacks on critical infrastructure, two major passenger transportation entities reported yesterday they had fallen victim. The Steamship Authority, the largest ferry service to the Massachusetts Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod, reported that ransomware disrupted its services causing delays and taking the web-based and phone-based reservation systems offline. According to a tweet by The Steamship Authority, there was no impact to the safety of vessel operations, as the issue did not affect radar or GPS functionality.

Pages

Subscribe to Cybersecurity