From Genady Vishnevetsky, chief information security officer for Stewart Title and chair of ALTA's Information Security Work Group.
It's been a month since Russia invaded Ukraine. While ground aggression continues to escalate, so do cybersecurity threats. This post covers the three most common threats spreading out of this conflict that you need to understand.
Threat - Hacking: Russia-supported and state-sponsored hacking groups targeting the U.S. and European companies. With the U.S., EU, and many countries worldwide continuing to impose and harden sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals, Russia is retaliating with cyberattacks on those involved. They target individual companies and the industries that are sanctioning.
What To Do: Stay alert to whaling attacks. These phishing emails and SMS messages steer users to malicious or legitimate but compromised websites for news and information. Expect drive-by downloads of malicious content from some of these websites. Stay focused on the URL details for every site you visit. Watch out for HTTPS security, look-a-like domain names in URLs, or unknown domains. Be aware of the danger of URL shorteners, especially with SMS and social media. Anything linked or related to the conflict must be scrutinized.
Threat - Propaganda & Misinformation: Russia and allies use propaganda and spread misinformation. While most social media platforms have already left or blocked access to and from Russia, hacker-controlled bots and trolls publish misinformation on all platforms worldwide. It's not just about the fake news, but malicious links and attachments that can traverse social media platforms.
What To Do: As with all your online interactions, validate sources-compare and contrast information from multiple trusted sources. Remember, websites and social media accounts can be compromised to amplify misinformation. Even if the source is recognized or trusted (e.g., your college roommate), you may not be able to determine easily if that identity has been compromised. Do not engage in rebroadcasting any information until fully vetted and verified to be authentic. Remember, images and voices can be easily fabricated and combined. For example, in this conflict alone, there are known and validated by forensic experts instances of visuals taken from past videos and even games to create terrifying statements.
Threat - Fake Charities: A myriad of fake charities always spike during disasters.
What To Do: If you do want to donate to humanitarian support, go with well-known and worldwide recognized charity organizations. All of them are now taking donations for Ukraine. Don't fall for a scam.
The ALTA Information Security Work Group welcomes conversation and questions about how to establish systems and policies to protect against unauthorized access, detect threats, alert administrators, and resolve issues. Resources are available at the Information Security page on the ALTA website.------------------------------
Kelly Romeo | SVP & CIO | ALTA
202-261-2948 |
kelly@alta.org------------------------------