A warning from international cybersecurity organizations has urged IT service providers and their customers to take action to protect themselves from the threat of supply chain attacks.
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Cybersecurity agencies are warning that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased the risk of cyberattacks on organizations around the world. But they are also suggesting a number of actions that IT and cloud service providers, along with their customers, can take to protect networks from supply chain attacks, where attackers gain access to a company that provides software or services to many other companies.
The warning comes from the UK (NCSC), CISA, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), the New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre (NZ NCSC), along with the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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Steps that can be taken to prevent the initial breach include hardening remote access VPN solutions and defending against brute force password-spraying attacks, ensuring that users use strong passwords , and ensuring that accounts are protected with multi-factor authentication.
Organizations should also ensure they are able to defend against phishingby having appropriate tools in place to filter spam emails, as well as training staff on how to detect potentially malicious messages.
It is also vital for organizations to monitor their networks and ensure that logging processes, as this can help identify and stop suspicious activity and prevent an incident from occurring in the first place. It is recommended that logs are stored for at least six months, as some cyberattacks can take months to detect.
Among other things, it is also recommended that IT service providers and their customers implement security updates as soon as possible in order to prevent potential attackers from being able to exploit known vulnerabilities to gain access to the network.
It is also vital for suppliers and customers to be transparent about cyber risks and should clearly define who is responsible for the secure management of systems.
Supply chains are one of the most vital parts of a business – an attack there could cause a huge problem for the business!
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The advice was issued on the second day of the NCSC Cyber UK conference, where several senior executives from cybersecurity organizations met to discuss the threat of global cyber threats.
Information source: zdnet.com
