Two lessons in network security
First
Remote workers are more vulnerable than those in the office; Colonial Pipeline was NOT hacked from inside; it was hacked through the computer of the employee working from home
Second
Paying the ransom is wrong; keep your backups up to date.
The below article was published on the wired.com portal and explains how the Colonial Pipeline was hacked. In my opinion, the most disturbing and unclear fact is “Why did they have to pay?” There was no system restore or current backup available?
Keep in mind, this is no some not-for-profit organization hanging on a shoestring budget; we are talking about the oil and gas business, the staple of fine capitalism in this country.
Their action, regardless of the motivation, will undoubtedly cause much more damage going forward, as it will empower and encourage hackers all over the world to tap into the “ransomware goldmine, called the American corporation”.
If a corporation of this size is vulnerable, what can a small business owner expect? Do they have the strategy to deal with it? Do they test their backups and check on remote workers’ home computers?
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