White House warns companies to step up cyber-security measures

(File photo) The White House, USA.

The White House has warned corporate executives and business leaders to step up security measures to protect against ransomware attacks after intrusions disrupted operations at a meatpacking company and an southeastern oil pipeline. There has been a significant hike in the frequency and size of ransomware attacks, Anne Neuberger, cyber-security adviser at the National Security Council, said in a letter. “The threats are serious and they are increasing. We urge you to take these critical steps to protect your organisations and the American public,” she added. Neuberger said recent cyber-attacks have forced companies to see ransomware as a threat to core business operations and not just data theft, as ransomware attacks have shifted from stealing to disrupting operations. Strengthening the country’s resilience to cyber-attacks was one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities, she added. “The private sector also has a critical responsibility to protect against these threats,” Neuberger wrote. “All organisations must recognise that no company is safe from being targeted by ransomware, regardless of size or location.” The letter came after major meatpacker JBS SA resumed US operations on Wednesday following a ransomware attack that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia. A Russia-linked hacking group that goes by the name of REvil and Sodinokibi was behind the cyber-attack against JBS SA, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The cyber-attack followed one last month by a group with ties to Russia on Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States, which crippled fuel delivery for several days in the US Southeast. Biden believes Russian President Vladimir Putin has a role to play in preventing these attacks and planned to bring up the issue during their summit this month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. Neuberger’s letter outlined immediate steps that companies can take to protect themselves from ransomware attacks, which can have ripple effects that extend far beyond the company and its customers. Those include best practices such as multifactor authentication, endpoint detection and response, encryption and a skilled security team. Companies should back up data and regularly test systems, as well as update and patch systems promptly. Neuberger advised that companies test incident response plans and use a third party to test the security team’s work. She said it is critical that corporate business functions and production operations be run on separate networks.Ransomware attack disrupts ferry service Cyber-criminals struck a ferry service in the US state of Massachusetts on Wednesday, disrupting service between several upscale northeastern coastal communities. The Steamship Authority of Massachusetts reported the ransomware attack, which delayed its ferry service between Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. “There is no impact to the safety of vessel operations, as the issue does not affect radar or GPS functionality,” the company tweeted as it announced the hack. The cyber-attack did partially disrupt the payment system, which moved to cash as the company said its ability to process credit cards was “limited”. The Steamship Authority said on Facebook that it “continues to work with our team internally, as well as with local, state, and federal officials externally, to address today’s ransomware incident”. “At this point, we are unable to release or confirm specific details of what occurred,” the statement read. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Boston had no immediate comment when contacted by AFP. Also on Wednesday, New York City’s train and bus system, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), said it was hacked on April 20. However, it added that little damage was done and that riders were never at risk. An audit after the attack uncovered no signs that the operating systems had been affected, or that the hackers accessed information of clients or employees, MTA technical chief Rafail Portnoy said. – AFP