
Serious cyber attacks are on the rise in America, as we have seen in recent months with the SolarWinds intrusion into U.S. government agencies, hacks at companies such as Microsoft and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in April. These are all indications that hackers are becoming increasingly malicious and targeting critical infrastructure and aim to literally kill people. These are all examples of businesses being reactive to cybersecurity with major, life-threatening repercussions — and yes, this should be a concern for small business as well.
This isn’t just happening on a big-business, corporate scale; it can certainly happen at any level. Don’t leave your business vulnerable to cyber attack. Hacker groups are looking for any opportunity to threaten your business or even your community.
Killware
This isn’t just hitting bottom lines anymore. Attacks are now aiming to do as much harm as possible - including ending lives, i.e. killware. Experts are warning that incidents can involve a wide range of critical national infrastructure targets that could lead to a loss of life, including energy sector, water & chemical systems, transportation, aviation, and more.
In a July report, Gartner said the threats were dangerously increasing and we can expect by 2025, “cyber attackers will have weaponized operational technology environments to successfully harm or kill humans.”
Hospitals
In an alarming turn, ransomware attacks (or killware) are even aiming for hospitals, causing patients to be turned away and/or surgeries, tests & other procedures cancelled. This was seen in a cyberattack on Universal Health Services in September 2020. Hospital cyber attacks could aim to cause patients’ danger & various life-threatening complications.
Authorities do believe the problem could be even larger than reported, as private companies or other businesses often aren’t reporting ransomware hacks of their systems. This failure to report doesn’t help officials learn about current trends and patterns in cyber attack, therefore leaving criminals to continue these schemes and earn more undetected.
Liability for Loss of Life
Cybersecurity experts warn leaders that they could be held legally liable if breaches of their computerized systems are found to have a human impact.
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“In the U.S., the FBI, NSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have already increased the frequency and details provided around threats to critical infrastructure-related systems, most of which are owned by private industry,” Katell Thielemann, research vice president at Gartner, said in a report in September 2020. “Soon, CEOs won’t be able to plead ignorance or retreat behind insurance policies.”
Beyond any losses of the cyber attack itself, ignorance in digital policy or protections on the part of the company will no longer be an excuse and companies will need to get ahead of any claims against them.
“Even without taking the actual value of a human life into the equation,” Gartner concluded, “the costs for organizations in terms of compensation, litigation, insurance, regulatory fines and reputation loss will be significant.”
What can you, as a business owner, do?
Don’t wait for threats to happen, build you your security up today. Protect your business, your customers and your community. Not sure where to start? That’s where Cyber Defenders can help. We will assess your current cyber security measures, recommend solutions tailored specifically to your business, and you can rest assured that we have you covered. Don’t hesitate, reach out today.
If you are a victim of cyber crime or attack, review this information from the FBI and also be sure to file a claim with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 as soon as possible.
If you believe you were a victim of a scam, fraud or bad business practice, submit a report to the Federal Trade Commission: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
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