No sector is safe when it comes to cybercrime

Byte-size Bulletin by Rachael Brown in IT Infrastructure, Security, News on Nov 5, 2021

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Businesses will continue to be caught off guard by cyber attacks if they maintain the perspective that cyber threats rarely impact ‘their industry’ according to Aamir Lakhani, a security researcher at Fortinet.

Despite high profile attacks like those on Colonial Pipeline and JBS Foods, many in industrialized sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and the automotive industry still perceive their businesses as not real targets for ransomware.

Lakhani argues that in reality, these industries are becoming increasingly popular targets for cyber criminals.

For example, about half of the top 100 companies in the automotive industry are “highly susceptible” to a ransomware attack.

He argued the trend of industries like Agriculture becoming more tech-dependent is driving this development. A modern agricultural facility today has an immense amount of internet-of-things (IoT) devices deployed that possess specific connections and exposures.

As businesses as a whole become more and more dependent on digital technologies, developments like these signal the fact that no business is safe from cyber crime.

“ It’s time for everyone to strengthen the kill chain ” Lakhani says.

“Bad actors aren’t going to stop their nefarious activities, and the more any sector becomes digitized, the more opportunity there is for them. This means organizations across sectors must maintain a strong security posture. Partnership; training; and AI-powered prevention, detection and response are vital to defending against the threat.”

Lakhani is right, organisations need to strive to recognise and increase their role in strengthening the kill chain. Regular training on practices that improve employee and business security is essential. So is investing in critical tools which improve cyber security, like detection and response technologies.

Multi-Factor authentication, robust password policies and cloud security are critical for any business, no matter its size or industry. What’s also crucial is that companies have the correct mindset towards cyber security, which is that attacks will happen and they need to prepare for them.