Cyber Warfare Protection Solutions In Pennsylvania

Cyberattacks have become the biggest concern for companies around the globe in 2022. The threat of ransomware attacks, data breaches, or major IT outages worries companies even more than business and supply chain disruption, natural disasters, or the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have heavily affected organizations in the past year. At Mainstreet IT Solutions, we have an ongoing commitment to protect local businesses from cyber warfare anywhere in the world. Still, we have recently increased our focus in response to world events.

How Prevalent Are Cyber Attacks?

Data shows that compared to 2020, businesses experienced a 50 percent increase in cyberattack attempts per week in 2021. Additionally, research shows that an external attacker can breach an organization’s network perimeter and access local network resources in nearly 93 percent of all cases.

Industrial, financial, fuel and energy organizations, government bodies, and other industries are all vulnerable to cyberwarfare. For example, a cyberattack took the Colonial Pipeline offline for several days last spring. The pipeline transports gasoline and other fuel through ten states and delivers around 45 percent of the fuel used on the East Coast. Attacked by what the FBI and administration officials identified as a gang of criminal hackers using ransomware, the shutdown caused long gas station lines in several states.

In June of 2021, the world’s largest meat supplier, JBS Foods, paid $11 million in ransom to hackers to prevent further damage to their systems following back-to-back attacks by Russian hackers. In response to these attacks, the White House issued an open letter to organizations urging them to take ransomware more seriously.

Typically, the security breaches that make the headlines and cause us to consider cyber security involve major organizations. However, small and medium businesses are proving to be easier targets for hackers because of their lack of resources and security expertise.

Cyberattacks have increased on all businesses, but attacks against small to medium-sized organizations are becoming more frequent, targeted, and complex. According to one study, about 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves.

While only a small percentage of small and medium-sized businesses consider their cyberattack and risk mitigation ability effective, 91 percent do not have cyber liability insurance. Additionally, data shows that 83 percent of small and medium-sized businesses are not financially prepared to recover from a cyber attack. Despite the increasing risks of cyber warfare, most small and medium-sized companies are unprepared to deal with security breaches.

What Is Mainstreet IT Solutions Doing to Inform Clients About the Potential Risks Associated With Cyber Warfare?

A concerning development is increased cyber warfare attacks by nation-states and their associated attack groups. Moreover, it is becoming more common for these groups to use cyber warfare techniques against commercial organizations.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently outlined cyber warfare and the risks at a White House security briefing. Garland, along with Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and other national law enforcement and cybersecurity experts, discussed the heightened threat of cyberattacks in the United States by foreign operators.

The briefing stresses that organizations of all sizes should expect and prepare for cyber attacks by foreign entities worldwide. They also emphasized that the scope of disruptive cyber operations will not be limited to obvious targets, such as government operations or businesses with crucial infrastructure roles.

At Mainstreet IT Solutions, we consistently discuss cyber warfare and the significance of cybersecurity. With recent world events, we have renewed our focus on the vital importance of cyber security, ensuring everyone is meeting best practices and having these conversations with a greater sense of urgency.

Organizations Are Increasingly Concerned About the Risks of Cyberwarfare and Its Potential Impact on Them

Unfortunately, IT security usually only becomes a talking point when it becomes a public security threat. The increased attacks from state actors are a clear call for improved defense, and the risks associated with cyber warfare have been highlighted more and more by the media.

Although the risk has always been present, at Mainstreet IT Solutions, we feel that cybersecurity is finally getting the attention it deserves. Recent events have increased awareness of the importance of cyber security and the risks involved with not performing due diligence to protect our respective organizations.

How Has Mainstreet IT Solutions Reinforced Defenses Due to the Potential Risk of Increased Cyber Warfare Attacks?

At Mainstreet IT Solutions, we have always believed that layered security offers the best protection against cyber attacks. While we have continuously diversified our product line to ensure that our clients have the most advanced security possible, we have recently increased the comprehensive nature of our product offerings. In our continued move in recent years towards increased security, our team of security experts is currently offering clients a new security product (Fortinet) that is urgently needed to mitigate the risk of cyberwarfare.

Mainstreet IT Solutions Is Taking Measures to Ensure Staff Fully Understand the Risks Associated With Increased Cyber Warfare Activities

Our team of security experts is committed to a heightened awareness of potential security risks in our customers’ environments. Making sure that our staff has a security-first mindset is incredibly important. We need to ensure that our employees see everything as a potential threat until proven not to be a threat. Our customers cannot afford for us to ignore anything with the potential to impact their livelihoods and services. Therefore, our team undergoes constant training and training reinforcement through interactive lessons.