US President Joe Biden is asking US organizations to step up their cyber defense efforts as Russia is reportedly considering carrying out cyber attacks in retaliation for sanctions imposed on it following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian government is considering carrying out cyberattacks
“Russia may conduct malicious cyber activities against the United States, including in response to the unprecedented economic sanctions we have imposed on it alongside our allies and partners. This is part of Russia’s specifications,” the President of the United States said in a statement. “My administration reiterates these warnings based on constantly evolving intelligence that the Russian government is exploring several options for possible cyberattacks. »
In light of this intelligence, President Biden called on the US private sector to act immediately to strengthen its cyber defenses. “Most of America’s critical infrastructure is privately owned and operated, and critical infrastructure owners and operators must accelerate their efforts to lock down their digital doors,” he insists.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has already contacted critical infrastructure operators to provide information and guidance on mitigation measures to help them protect their systems and networks.
Some tips for strengthening cyber defenses
As part of this warning, the US government has released a guide for organizations to take certain actions.
The latter recommends in particular to make mandatory the use of multi-factor authentication, to deploy modern security tools on computers and devices, to consult with cybersecurity professionals to ensure that systems are protected against all vulnerabilities known, updating passwords on networks so that previously stolen credentials are unusable by malicious actors, backing up data and ensuring that offline backups are available, arranging drills and drills, encrypt data, educate employees about common forms of malicious activity, and proactively engage law enforcement authorities.
Last week, CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also warned satellite communications network providers to step up their cybersecurity efforts. The warning came shortly after the two agencies, along with European authorities, initiated investigations into a cyberattack on the ViaSat internet service for customers in Ukraine.
Source: ZDNet.com