White House raises alarm over cyberattacks
The number and size of ransomware incidents have increased significantly, Anne Neuberger, deputy assistant to President Biden and deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, said in a June 2 letter to corporate executives and business leaders.
Neuberger said the federal government is working with other countries to “disrupt and deter ransomware actors.”
These efforts include disrupting ransomware networks, working with international partners to hold countries that harbor ransomware actors accountable, developing cohesive and consistent policies toward ransom payments and enabling rapid tracing and interdiction of virtual currency proceeds.
She also said the private sector must do its part, outlining “immediate steps” to protect against attacks.
“Much as our homes have locks and alarm systems and our office buildings have guards and security to meet the threat of theft, we urge you to take ransomware crime seriously and ensure your corporate cyber defenses match the threat,” she said.
“The most important takeaway from the recent spate of ransomware attacks on U.S., Irish, German and other organizations around the world is that companies that view ransomware as a threat to their core business operations rather than a simple risk of data theft will react and recover more effectively.”
Neuberger said business executives should immediately convene their leadership teams to discuss the ransomware threat and review corporate security posture and business continuity plans to ensure they have the ability to continue or quickly restore operations.
The letter urged that private companies implement best practices from President Biden’s Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity Executive Order.
They are:
- Multifactor authentication (because passwords alone are routinely compromised);
- Endpoint detection & response (to hunt for malicious activity on a network and block it);
- Encryption (so if data is stolen, it is unusable);
- A skilled, empowered security team (to patch rapidly, and share and incorporate threat information in your defenses);
- Back up your data, system images, and configurations, regularly test them, and keep the backups offline;
- Update and patch systems promptly: This includes maintaining the security of operating systems, applications, and firmware, in a timely manner;
- Consider using a centralized patch management system, and use a risk-based assessment strategy to drive your patch management program;
- Test your incident response plan: There’s nothing that shows the gaps in plans more than testing them. Run through some core questions and use those to build an incident response plan: Are you able to sustain business operations without access to certain systems? For how long? Would you turn off your manufacturing operations if business systems such as billing were offline?;
- Check your security team’s work: Use a third-party pen tester to test the security of your systems and your ability to defend against a sophisticated attack;
- Segment your networks: There’s been a recent shift in ransomware attacks from stealing data to disrupting operations. It’s critically important that your corporate business functions and manufacturing/production operations are separated and that you carefully filter and limit internet access to operational networks, identify links between these networks and develop workarounds or manual controls to ensure ICS networks can be isolated and continue operating if your corporate network is compromised; and
- Regularly test contingency plans such as manual controls so that safety critical functions can be maintained during a cyber incident.
“Ransomware attacks have disrupted organizations around the world, from hospitals across Ireland, Germany and France, to pipelines in the United States and banks in the U.K.,” Neuberger said. “The threats are serious, and they are increasing. We urge you to take these critical steps to protect your organizations and the American public.”
