Heads up, shields up!

Posted by nicole johnson

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched Shields Up program to coincide with the Biden administration’s new cybersecurity bill. The program is designed to encourage businesses to report cyberattacks to the government, as well as to prepare them for an impending cyberattack.

After last week’s press release from multiple government entities, the US government is preparing themselves for a potentially brutal cyber war with Russia.

Jen Easterly, director of CISA, has been quite active on social media by sharing information with the government and civilians to defend against cyberattacks. She has been encouraging them to update software and use multi-factor authentication on computers and phones. 

Easterly said everyone should assume there will be an attack and be prepared for it. On the CISA website, there are some helpful guidelines for all organization to follow. As it can often be overwhelming to those who are not tech savy, where does one start in terms of preparation?

CISA compiled a list of  free cybersecurity services and tools to assist.

Recommendations?

Reduce cyber threats

  • Require multi-factor authentication
  • Update software
  • Prioritize updates that address known exploitations, which can be found here.
  • Disable everything that is not essential to conduct your business.

Quick detection

  • Ensure that cybersecurity/IT personnel are focused on identifying and quickly assessing any unexpected or unusual network behavior.
  • Ensure antivirus is up-to-date

There is a more comprehensive list on CISA’s website to assist organizations with their preparations. For more information on how we plan to implement these processes and customize them to your needs, please give us a call today.  

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nicole johnson View All →

I’m Nikki. I have been interested in writing ever since I could remember. I found my passion for the art when I was in junior high. I started writing a lot in my journals and then I began writing poetry. I wrote a poem or two everyday throughout high school and I convinced myself to get them published. That’s exactly what I did in 2007.
I occasionally publish my work on poetry.com and so forth. Writing is something that is instilled within me and it makes me feel good to write what most people don’t or won’t say out loud. I’m interested in writing about military veterans and their transformation from being in that strict environment and then coming back to civilian life, as well as writing about real people with real issues. I believe that everyone has a story to tell and its just going out and telling it.

Today, I write for various sites, write short stories, and even operate as an editor.

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