Nate Melby

The successful Ransomware attack on the Ascension Health System by a Russia-linked group called Black Basta has gotten world wide attention and I am hoping it has your attention as well. The exact entry point into this successful Health Care System is not known at this time and the 140 hospitals in 19 states including Wisconsin have had to go back to pen and paper as they work hard to take care of their patients. This is causing longer wait times and at times confusion for all involved. The Ascension pharmacies are not able to fill prescriptions for their patients causing a lot of grief and concerns for the employees and the patients of Ascension. In the next few weeks we will learn more as to how the bad actors accessed the system and how Ascension is working to recover from the attack. In the meantime, here are a few reminders and one new suggestion: 1.      Keep all your data secure with proper passwords and Multifactor Authentication where possible. 2.      Make sure your applications and software are up to date with the latest patches.  3.      Do not share your login credentials with anyone. If someone calls or contacts you via the social media asking for your info to “confirm” disconnect immediately.  4.      Backup both your business and personal data outside of your current system.  5.      Use a Security Operations Center to monitor your Cyber Security Tools and the alerts.  6.      Have copies of your medical records that you keep for yourself in a secured location. This is especially important if you have a medical condition that requires consistent care and prescriptions.      We hope for a fast recovery for the Ascension team and the River Run Security team wishes you an extremely Cybersafe Week. Paul #cybersecurityevangelist #cybersecurity #randsomeware

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I'm frequently asked 🙋‍♂️ by others on the cost of charging my EV9. Here is everything you need to know to calculate your EV🔋 versus Gas/ICE⛽️ comparison from a budget perspective. 💰 🎈 https://lnkd.in/e43UHNXP

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"Voting is your civic duty" last night turned into "your CIPic duty" for North American electric utilities-- who overwhelmingly voted for the new CIP-015-1 requirements on Internal Network Security Monitoring (INSM). Now begins the next phases of the regulatory process: NERC Board of Trustees submission, FERC filing, FERC rulemaking process, and the implementation plan. We're still ways away from seeing this in the field, but the planning starts now...

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Another day means another reminder of why cybersecurity should be a top priority for companies' short and long-term visions. With the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks, it is crucial for businesses to invest in robust cybersecurity measures to protect their operations, data, and reputation. Ignoring cybersecurity risks can lead to disastrous consequences, including financial losses, legal liabilities, and damage to brand image. Stay ahead of the game by making cybersecurity a priority in your company's vision. #cybersecurity #businessstrategy #riskmanagement

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RMC is in the Industrial Cyber Buyer's Guide. Check us out! Two takeaway's when I reviewed this buyer's guide: 1. There are a lot of foreign-owned companies. RMC is a proud US-based company serving the DoD, other Federal agencies, US critical infrastructure, and Fortune 500 companies with a team of cleared and vetted risk management and industrial cyber experts 2. The majority of the companies in this buyer's guide are product / software companies. RMC is proud to focus on premier product-agnostic services. We want the best for our clients and we work hard to remain un-biased and serve their best interests. We don't push pin-point solutions, we recommend the best solution and focus on the whole of the challenge https://lnkd.in/gCiBYH-j

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The reliability and security of our power grid are critical. ⚡ Supporting bulk power system operators in complying with NERC CIP standards is essential for ensuring operational resilience and security. Learn how our solutions can help achieve compliance and protect critical assets. #NERC #CIPCompliance #Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity assessments of safety equipment and communications are extremely important. I’ve tried to align detailed requirements from ISA/IEC 62443 with the SANS ICS 5 Cybersecurity Critical Controls. Please let me know your thoughts and insights on this topic. https://lnkd.in/gyezspbv

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Grab some popcorn 🍿 -- because there is a lot happening in the NERC CIP space this month. First the virtualization standards pass ballot (and are off to the NERC Board of Trustees for adoption), which has been a long standing effort since 2016. In that time, utilities have leveraged virtualization (and passed audits) and it'll be interesting to see how those entities adapt their programs based on the new VCA and SCI definitions. To round out the month, CIP-015 on Internal Network Security Monitoring (INSM) is up for final ballot, which attempts to address FERC directives in Order No. 887. There's some interesting language around risk-based approaches for the requirements that has some historic context with previous FERC orders-- and the last ballot showed some promising support across entities regarding the use of INSM technology: https://lnkd.in/exKnDnSG Combined, this would represent some of the largest changes across the NERC CIP requirements over the past few years.

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Thinking of implementing a SASE service option? The article includes a great list of things to consider and ask. . . #Cybersecurity

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Plenty of companies think they’re going above and beyond to manage cyber risk. But in reality, most are doing the bare minimum. Executives who know they need some kind of risk management framework hear terms like HITRUST, CMMC, or NIST ISO 27001 and hire someone to put one of these programs into practice thinking they’ve fulfilled their obligation. We refer to this as a “checking the box” approach. What those execs don’t know is that many high-profile security frameworks are meant to be a foundation to build on – not a bulletproof vest. Companies that just check the box leave themselves vulnerable to threats while thinking they’re protected. Unfortunately, simply adopting a security framework is just table stakes. True cyber risk management comes into play when you start asking questions like: -What are the financial losses my company might expect without a security framework in place? -How have similar businesses been affected by a data breach, either monetarily or reputationally? -Am I using a framework that is specific to my business model? -What are my internal capabilities for managing risk and where do they need to be supplemented? The answers to these questions inform the specific protocols your company needs to adopt and the level of protection you need. Frameworks themselves are not smart. They don't know what your business is, where it’s located, or what your specific level of threat is. Without that context, your cyber security measures fit your company less like a tailored suit and more like a one-size-fits-all bargain bin jacket. As an executive, your job is to take the measurements of your company’s business context and adjust the framework so it’s a perfect fit. Doing so can mean the difference between feeling protected and 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 being protected.

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One of the top cyberattack stories this year continues... EPA urges water utilities to protect nation's drinking water amid heightened cyberattacks Quote: "Cyberattacks targeting water utilities across the country have increased in frequency and severity, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it urged community water systems to take immediate steps to reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities and protect the nation's public drinking water supplies. "The EPA has issued an enforcement alert detailing "urgent cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities" to community drinking water systems, the agency said in a news release Monday. A majority of water systems — over 70% — inspected by the EPA since last September violated standards in the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to the alert. ..." #cyber #cybersecurity #cyberattack #water #criticalinfrastructure #watersystems #EPA https://lnkd.in/e4MvyuXt

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Organization’s struggle with documenting NIST SP 800-171’s 3.3.1 System Auditing, especially when they are using Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) software or cloud services. Like all of the other As the CMMC Churns Understand the Requirements series, we will walk you through understand the key definitions, the Assessment Objectives, and demonstrate how we show conformity to 3.3.1 System Auditing using SharePoint lists and Azure Sentinel. This Understand the Requirements video will be critical when we get to 3.3.3, Review and Update Logged Events, a THOROUGHLY misunderstood requirement. =============================================== Peak InfoSec Homepage: https://peakinfosec.com As the CMMC Churns Episodes: https://lnkd.in/eVGYGs3g Contact Peak InfoSec for Support: https://lnkd.in/e8sM_2Z3 Email: cmmc@peakinfosec.us =============================================== #cuicon #cmmc #cmmc2 #32cfrpart2002 #32cfrpart170 #infosec #informationsecurity #compliance #cybersecurity #cui #fci #cmmcab #thecyberab #nist800171 #defenseindustry #defensecontractors #defensecontracting #grc #manufacturing #dfars #manufacturingindustry #dib #satellite #satellitecommunications #satellitesystems #managedserviceprovider #msp #managedsecurityservices #mssp #DoD #GovCon #governmentcontracting #SmallBusiness #contracts #contractors https://lnkd.in/entjZARv

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Chairmen, Chairwomen, Directors on Boards and CEO's should all watch this United Health CEO's testimony from 5/1/24 on their Cybersecurity Incident. Ask: Do you have any certified CISSP or CISO qualified Board Members at the table, asking the hard questions and understanding the gaps? I would bet CEO Andrew Witty's board will change drastically with $22M ransom paid out of pocket and $872M in other costs and fees (plus inbound HIPAA fines). https://lnkd.in/gXsPtPxm

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When an enterprise network goes down, you call in the incident response team and they do forensics. When your SCADA goes down, who do you call? Meet Lesley Carhart, technical director of incident response at Dragos, Inc., who focuses on products and services for the non standard part of cybersecurity. That means things like performing digital forensics on SCADA, industrial control systems, and critical infrastructure. There’s still some normal enterprise computing involved, but very often the stories told by practitioners are … well, just plain weird. https://lnkd.in/gVFBvtSg

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