Colonial Pipeline Cybersecurity Attack

The cybersecurity attack on the Colonial Pipeline should be reminder for many business owners to bring cyber security to the forefront of their business continuity plans.

As an owner you should ensure you are doing enough to protect your daily operations from being held hostage by cyber criminals. Below are a few items to consider when assessing your current cybersecurity threat levels.

1. Is your antivirus/ malware up to date?

Antivirus software is necessary whether on Mac or Windows. Both come with some level of virus protection built in, but that is not enough. It is best to install a third-party antivirus software for total protection. This additional software blocks against malware and potentially unwanted programs.

2. Do you have a managed firewall that is not from a internet provider?

A managed firewall has more granular control of traffic coming in and going out of your internet. The router you receive from your internet provider is not a business class firewall. Firewalls provide protection against outside cyber attackers by shielding your computer or network from malicious or unnecessary network traffic. Firewalls can also prevent malicious software from accessing a computer or network via the internet.

3. Do you offer your employees cybersecurity training?

Security awareness and training has a 72% chance of significantly reducing the business impact of a cyber attack. Studies show that multiple training methods have the highest correlation to perceived security effectiveness in employees.

4. Have you tested your backups in the last 30 days?

You should test your entire system for full scale disaster recovery on a bi-annual basis. To ensure that testing is taking place ask your IT or backup vender for a copy of the back up logs for your review. However, what data to backup is different for each business. Some companies may want or need to back up only mission critical data, while others may want to back up their entire system. The best way to assess your companies backup needs is to ask the question “How do I run my business now that my office is gone or not accessible?” and “What do I have to do to rebuild my technology system?”.

Still have questions? Wilkins Miller Information Technologies has a full staff of cyber threat analysts ready to help you protect your business’s IT infrastructure. Contact our team today at 251.410.6700.