CISA, FBI issue holiday cybersecurity warning
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Cybersecurity
Monday, November 29, 2021
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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a cybersecurity reminder for public and private sector organizations to remain vigilant and take appropriate precautions to reduce their risk to ransomware and other cyberattacks during the holiday season.
The advisory is based on observations on the timing of high impact ransomware attacks that have occurred previously rather than a reaction to specific threat reporting. Specifically, malicious cyber actors often take advantage of holidays and weekends to disrupt critical networks and systems belonging to organizations, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Among the mitigations described in the joint alert includes the need for entities to identify IT security employees for weekends and holidays who would be available during these times in the event of a ransomware attack. Other best practice recommendations include:
- Implement multi-factor authentication for remote access and administrative accounts.
- Mandate strong passwords and ensure they are not reused across multiple accounts.
- If you use remote desktop protocol (RDP) or other potentially risky services, ensure it is secure and monitored.
- Remind employees not to click on suspicious links, and conduct exercises to raise awareness.
- Review and, if needed, update incident response and communication plans that list actions an organization will take if impacted by a ransomware incident.
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