CISA and FBI Urge Organizations to Remain Vigilant to Ransomware and Cyber Threats This Holiday Season

By Aimee Andres | November 22, 2021

 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a cybersecurity reminder that malicious cyber actors aren’t making the same holiday plans as you. Recent history tells us that this could be a time when these persistent cyber actors halfway across the world are looking for ways—big and small—to disrupt the critical networks and systems belonging to organizations, businesses, and critical infrastructure.

CISA and the FBI strongly urge all entities–especially critical infrastructure partners–to examine their current cybersecurity posture and implement best practices and mitigations to manage the risk posed by cyber threats. Specifically, CISA and the FBI urge users and organizations to take the following actions to protect themselves from becoming the next victim:

  • Identify IT security employees for weekends and holidays who would be available to surge during these times in the event of an incident or ransomware attack.
  • 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 any other potentially risky service, ensure it is secure and monitored.
  • Remind employees not to click on suspicious links, and conduct exercises to raise awareness.

For a comprehensive overview, see the Joint Cybersecurity Advisory Ransomware Awareness for Holidays and Weekends. The advisory can be found here and is also available on the whole-of-government ransomware website, StopRansomware.gov.

Any support you and your organizations can do to amplify this alert through your communications and social media channels is appreciated. And as always, thank you for your continued collaboration.

Link to CISA/FBI press release: cisa.gov/news/2021/11/22/cisa-and-fbi-urge-organizations-remain-vigilant-ransomware-and-cyber-threats

Steve Lyddon

Protective Security Advisor, Region 5, Illinois
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Cell:  217-299-3954 | steven.lyddon@cisa.dhs.gov

Posted in CISA/DHS News