We are only a month into 2021, and already the tech and security sector has published several news stories regarding security concerns. Companies as large as T-Mobile and Capcom have reported ransomware attacks that have stolen valuable client information. Even more alarming is the knowledge that several government agencies around the world have reported ransomware attacks resulting in government secrets being compromised. This trend has resulted in Google, Facebook and similar companies being taken to task on potential Antitrust activity, creating huge uncertainty for their futures. On the flip side, piracy websites have seen some of their lowest traffic since the start of the COVID pandemic last year, with both illegal movie and music downloads slowing significantly over the past month.
Some organizations are also seeing intense fallout from last year’s SolarWinds hack – with perpetrators gaining access to thousands of Department of Justice email accounts. According to the DOJ:
“After learning of the malicious activity, the [Office of the Chief Information Officer] eliminated the identified method by which the actor was accessing the O365 email environment,” a Department of Justice statement read. “At this point, the number of potentially accessed O365 mailboxes appears limited to around 3% and we have no indication that any classified systems were impacted.”
The focus of these hacks is as varied as the targets they go after. While some are for monetary gain, others seem to simply be for the purpose of causing harm. Attacks on government and healthcare websites will not be decreasing any time soon. With the COVID vaccine rollout leading to an increased number of people accessing government and healthcare websites to check statuses, we can expect to see more attacks targeting these sectors. These attacks slow the process of vaccine distribution and sew confusion amongst users and staff, leading to real world consequences for those most in need of the vaccine.
It is important to note that you do have a trusted companion to turn to for securing your own network and digital presence. Intrinium is vigilant about keeping up with the latest hacks, ransoms and malware to ensure we protect our clients. We are continually engaged in securing networks and evicting bad actors.
As always, our team is here to help, please reach out to us here with any concern about your network. Our team operates 365 days a year to ensure your cybersecurity is solved!
To keep you up to date on some of the latest cybersecurity news, we’ve linked some of our recent blogs for you below. You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Wishing you a Happy, Secure 2021 from your Intrinium team!
Phishing/Security Awareness Training with COVID
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