FBI, DHS, DFS, & NFA Information Security Alert

There is a current heightened risk of cyber attacks from the Iranian Government, which has vowed to retaliate against the United States for the death of Qassem Soleimani. Given Iranian capabilities and history, U.S. entities should prepare for the increased possibility of cyber-attacks.

What is most concerning about Iran's cyber-attack history, is that it particularly targets the U.S. financial services industry. In June 2019, the U.S. government advised that it observed a “recent rise in malicious cyber activity directed at United States industries and government agencies by Iranian regime actors and proxies,” Iranian attackers are increasingly using highly destructive attacks that delete or encrypt data.

Dept. of Financial Services (DFS), Dept. Of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) strongly recommend that all U.S. entities heighten their vigilance against cyber attacks. All entities should be prepared to respond quickly to any suspected cyber incidents. Historically, Iranian-sponsored hackers have primarily relied on common hacking tactics such as email phishing, credential stuffing, password spraying, and the targeting of unpatched devices.

DFS, DHS, and the FBI recommend that all entities ensure all vulnerabilities are patched/remediated (especially publicly disclosed vulnerabilities). It is also important to ensure that employees are adequately trained to deal with phishing attacks; implementation of multi-factor authentication; disaster recovery plans are reviewed and updated, and prompt response to further alerts from the government or other reliable sources is provided. It is particularly important to ensure that any alerts or incidents are given a prompt response (even outside of regular business hours). Iranian hackers are known to prefer attacking over the weekends and at night - precisely because they know that weekday staff may not be available to respond immediately.

Cyber Security Bulletin

1) FBI, DHS issue bulletin warning of potential Iranian cyberattacks.                   

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a bulletin to law enforcement groups last week Wednesday warning of the potential for Iran to target the U.S. with cyberattacks in the wake of raised tensions following the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

2) 73% of black hat hackers said traditional firewall and antivirus security is irrelevant or obsolete.     

According to the same survey, 80% of hackers say “humans are the most responsible for security breaches”.    

3) Traditional perimeter-based security is not enough for cyberattacks.
According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report, over half — and trending toward 100% — of recent data breaches were due to compromised credentials.

4. There is a cyber attack every 39 seconds.
 By the time the average person takes a selfie and uploads it to Instagram, the next hacker attack has already taken place.

For more information or if you have any concerns over heightening cybersecurity at your firm, please contact us at Support@cybersecop.com