As we watch the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, there are so many stories, opinions and concerns regarding what is coming next and if it will impact other countries like the United States of America… and how. The White House and other US Government officials have increasingly been warning us to prepare for Russian cyber-attacks. So, let’s take a look at what we should be doing now to protect ourselves, companies and our government.
Just like every cyber security officer already knows, this is a tough job. We must protect every weak link in the chain we can think of. On the other hand, they only need to break in once and they are in our system causing all sorts of problems for us.
We must protect everything and be right 100 percent of the time. They only need to be lucky once and the game is over. It’s that serious.
Data networks primary concern is protecting their network
IP data networks which we all use, should all be actively preparing and increasing their security to protect their own network for their sake, and our private personal or business information for our sake.
That means all sorts of data networks, both wire line and wireless.
Commercial networks that offer these kinds of networks for personal and business use are AT&T, Verizon, AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum, Altice, CenturyLink, Lumen Technologies, Quantum Fiber and so many others.
In fact, there are so many other wireless and wire line data networks it would make your head spin.
Security levels will be different among them all. Some will be better at protecting their users than others.
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Xfinity, Spectrum, Altice, Lumen, CenturyLink
Network operators are primarily concerned with keeping their networks from crashing. Secondarily, they also try to protect their customers as well.
Networks operated by commercial providers are already working to harden their systems from fraud, break-in, and hackers. They do this on an ongoing basis. The temperature is just turned up today because of the increasing threat.
Make sure you have a serious conversation with your provider to make sure they are doing everything they can to protect their network, and learn what you should do to help you strengthen the protection of your own personal or business information.
White House statement on nation’s cybersecurity
The White House released a statement on our nation’s cybersecurity.
They said we are at a critical moment and must accelerate our work to improve domestic cybersecurity and bolster our national resilience.
They said they have previously warned us about the potential that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the United States, including as a response to the unprecedented economic costs we’ve imposed on Russia alongside our allies and partners.
They said, this is part of Russia’s playbook. They are reiterating those warnings based on evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks.
Prepare yourself, your family, your business from cyberattacks
The U.S. government has warned us, but I do not see enough news coverage of this potential threat to every American, company and government agency.
Granted, we simply do not know if these cyberattacks will be tried, and if so, if they be successful.
That being said, we are always better to be over-prepared.
Cyberattacks are another battlefield and we must strengthen ourselves for this threat.
In that case, if no attack occurs, there is no real loss except some time and money.
However, if we are under-prepared and an attack happens, it will be much more devastating in money and chaos and lost treasure.
Cyberattack protection by networks is good, but not good enough
The protections offered by networks we do business with are good, but they are not enough.
We must find and implement all the solutions that are applicable to us in our personal lives or our business activity. Every person or company or agency connected to the Internet or who uses email or text messaging is at risk.
That means we are highly vulnerable as everything is connected to the Internet today.
Make sure you continually update your operating system on every device in your home, your office, your business and more.
Make sure you are using security software and that it is always updated. This includes protection services like Microsoft Defender, ESET, Norton 360, McAfee, Malwarebytes, Bitdefender and more.
Also consider VPN software which hides your location when you are on the web. While this has been helpful at preventing spam and ads, it can also be helpful protecting your security. These are VPN services like Freedome, NordVPN, Express VPN and others.
You see there is quite a bit of information exchange going on behind the scenes. This must be protected.
Two-factor authentication is vitally important, now more than ever. This is not bullet-proof, but it does help you stack the odds in your favor.
Protect your critical information and communications like with your bank, your doctor, your credit cards and so much more.
Be very aware of junk email, texts and online ads. Never click on or open anything that you are not 100% sure of.
You are always better off safe than sorry.
You should always protect yourself in these ways. Many of us do. However, many do not and they leave themselves open to hacking.
The treat is not only to you and your family, but to the companies and institutions you communicate with.
Protect everything that connects to the Internet from cyberattack
Remember, you need to make sure you protect anything that connects to the Internet. That of course means your computers, laptops and notebooks. However, that also includes your tablets like iPad and Galaxy. That also includes your smartphones like iPhone, Android and Galaxy.
This also includes anything else that connects to the Internet. You will be surprised when you think about everything you already have that is connected to the Internet.
Think your smart TV, refrigerator, oven, printers, office devices, radios, security alarm system, front door locks, video cameras, car security and more. In fact, today we use features on the car or household devices which are regularly updated and monitored online, and countless other new devices we use.
We never thought these were weak links before, but that’s exactly what these are.
Cyberattacks can come over wire line networks or wirelessly
The threat comes over a wire and it comes wirelessly. That’s the problem. We are so connected today that we are now vulnerable to these cyberattacks.
We are also susceptible to other problems like power outages, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and other national disasters.
That means now is the time to fortify yourself, your family, your business, even multi-national corporates, local, city, state and federal government offices and agencies, everything.
As you can see, even when we do a great job of building walls against these attackers, the problem I mentioned earlier still leaves us vulnerable.
We must protect everything and be right 100 percent of the time. They only need to be lucky once and its game over.
Let’s take this threat seriously. Let’s get prepared. Let’s protect ourselves from this threat.
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