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157

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Index at 100 on January 1, 2020

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Avoiding a Cyber-Criminal Pay Day [Cybersecurity Brief]

A cyber-criminal gets its pay day when a system is successfully hacked. Payment can come in the form of personal information, confidential documents and even digital money. With cyber-attacks at an all-time high, organizations must be doing everything in their power to take precautionary measures towards avoiding hackers. Articles by Maggie Miller from The Hill, Benjamin Freed from StateScoop and Emil Sayegh from Forbes provide the latest updates in the cyber world and give an overview on the most efficient ways to stop cyber-criminals from getting paid.

To start, the FBI is seeing an even greater number of cyber criminals looking for a pay day due to the George Floyd protests. Previously, hackers were targeting coronavirus efforts. Now, hackers have their eyes set on the George Floyd protests as well. These two targets leave Americans vulnerable to letting in hackers by mistake. All in all, the FBI has reported that U.S. citizens have received over 20,000 cyber threats relating to both COVID19 and the protests. Although not all 20,000 attacks have been successful, some systems have been compromised resulting in a nice pay day for the cyber criminals.

Another incident where cyber criminals received a huge pay day pertains to a UK based airline called EasyJet. Less than a month ago, EasyJet’s systems were hacked resulting in a loss of personal information of 9 million customers. Now, more than 10,000 customers whose information was leaked is trying to sue the airline. EasyJet’s problems do not stop there. Once a system is hacked, it continues to be vulnerable to future attacks that could be even more detrimental. The cyber-criminal that attacked EasyJet received a huge pay day and could be receiving an even bigger check down the line.

Cyber-criminals are actively looking to get paid. The only solution for preventing these pay days is to invest in cybersecurity that will protect your systems. Some entities such as the Ohio state government, are taking the right steps towards protection by training employees in cybersecurity. Additionally, the FBI has reported an increased effort of disseminating information regarding cyber-attacks between the federal and state governments along with the private sector. If a cyber-criminal cannot successfully hack a system, they won’t get paid.

Key Takeaways

FBI sees major spike in coronavirus-related cyber threats – Maggie Miller, The Hill

  • The FBI reported that it has received over 20,000 coronavirus-related cyber threats
  • Hackers are now targeting not only the pandemic, but also George Floyd protests as well

Ohio CIO says pandemic prompted statewide cybersecurity push – StateScoop, Benjamin Freed

  • Ohio immediately instituted state-wide mandatory cybersecurity trainings to government workers at the start of the pandemic
  • CIO Ervan Rogers and the FBI’s cyber division deputy assistant director, Tonya Ugoretz, reported an increased effort of disseminating information regarding COVID related threats between the federal and state governments and the private sector.

There’s No Vaccine For Data Leaks: Why One Cyber Attack Leads to Another – Emil Sayegh, Forbes

  • EasyJet, a UK based airline was recently hacked resulting in the loss of personal information of 9 million customers
  • Once a hacker has a successful attack, it opens the door for further attacks down the line
  • The only solution is for organizations to build an IT immunity to prevent hackers

Sources

https://statescoop.com/ohio-cio-says-pandemic-prompted-statewide-cybersecurity-push/

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/504389-fbi-sees-major-spike-in-coronavirus-related-cyber-threats

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilsayegh/2020/06/24/theres-no-vaccine-for-data-leaks-why-one-cyber-attack-leads-to-another/#13c18e8c7300

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