On Wednesday of this week, I had the opportunity to attend a Cyber Security Briefing with the FBI. The types of attacks are not new, but the frequency and boldness of the attacks is increasing on US Companies. You need to be prepared. The first step of being prepared is to get to know your local FBI Office in advance of any threats. This will help both sides tremendously down the road.
The Department of Defense relies on an enormous system of networks with 7 million computing devices and 15,000 networks in dozens of countries. These networks support the US’s military intelligence and business operations.
As reported by William Lynn in a story carried by Mashable, the deputy secretary of defense announced this week that Cyber Crime is on the rise. Not only is it affecting millions of private citizens, it is creeping into the Board Room as one of the major issues of the day. The US Government has been under pressure to come up with solutions and a plan. This can not be achieved unless we work hand in hand with our local FBI Cyber Crime division lead by Scott Augenbaum. The reporting of data loss and theft is rising by companies each day and the FBI can help you ready your systems for an attack.
A lot of the advice given this week is common sense, but a lot of companies are not putting these practical protocols into place. In addition, there are some consumer best practices that can used to make you less vulnerable to cyber theft. Use a separate and dedicated Mac for online banking. This is due to the amount of “spear fishing” and viruses that is occurring through the use of Facebook. Create separate passwords for banking transactions than you use for iTunes, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.
Source: Department of Defense, FBI
