Practical Tips to Bolster Your Cyber Security Posture in Response to Russia Ukraine Conflict

The United States’ involvement in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has largely been diplomatic and economic to this point. However, with the US leading the rest of the West in imposing severe sanctions on Russia,  it is anticipated that Russia’s response will result in a dramatic uptick in cyber attacks directed at the United States. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a “Shields Up” advisory in response to the anticipated uptick in cyber attacks. CISA recommends that “all organizations, regardless of size, adopt a heightened posture when it comes to protecting their most critical assets.”

Financial and healthcare organizations, always ripe targets for cyber attacks due to the value of their data/assets, should be particularly vigilant as an uptick in attacks has already been reported.

At NetWorks Group, we strongly believe that now is the time for organizations to prepare their defenses for a new wave of new cyber attacks. We’ve compiled a list of practical security tips, listed below, that you can take today to quickly react to these events as they unfold.

What can you do today?

• Consider blocking all inbound and outbound traffic to/from Russia and other countries where possible
• Ensure 2FA is implemented on external resources. Audit it and enforce it so no account can slip through the cracks
• Ensure network devices and applications have the most up-to-date patches applied
• Conduct social engineering awareness for employees
• Educate employees: let them know that cyber attacks are on the rise, and that they have a key role in stopping them
• Test your Incident Response and Disaster Recovery plans to ensure they are current and everyone on your team knows what their role is

How can NWG help?

NetWorks Group works with our customers every day to help bolster their security defenses. We’re in a good position to help customers answer questions about how the conflict in Ukraine uniquely affects their organization. We can help strategize about the security solutions that are most appropriate for you and then partner with you to be a voice for security if you’re not getting the traction you need from key stakeholders. Reach out to your account manager today if you’d like to have further conversations with your security team on this topic. If you aren’t a current NWG customer, click here to schedule an introductory call.

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Authored by: NWG Leadership Team

Publish Date: March 4, 2022