Updated 30 January 2023
The attacks on Ukraine are a daunting reminder that today’s battles occur on two fronts: the physical world and the digital one. As predicted, Russian-based threat actors launched cyberattacks at systems in Ukraine government and businesses. In a show of increased aggression, the first wave of attacks involved DDoS attacks, while the second consisted of malware designed to destroy data that was initially disguised as ransomware. There are many sources listing the technical details around the malware, and security agencies within the EU and the United States have provided information on the cyberattacks, along with security recommendations to various organizations within the public, private and critical infrastructure sectors.
Alex Holden, an ISACA expert speaker and CISO and founder of Hold Security LLC, closely follows the critical infrastructure security space, and acknowledged in an ISACA video that there is a much higher risk level for attacks, not only in Ukraine.
“I think we’ve done a fair job over the years preparing and defending ourselves,” Holden said of the critical infrastructure sector. “We’ve spent a lot of time in building the right infrastructures, building the right frameworks, monitoring, and alerting. Unfortunately, we are not perfect, so there are still gaps.”
In the US, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agency (CISA) released a “Shields Up” warning to all businesses, letting them know to be on alert for attacks originating from Russia. Such times require giving extra consideration to our preparedness and resilience. Basic security hygiene may not always be the most exciting topic; however, it is almost always one of the most important. As the Shields Up strategy suggests, it is important to increase vigilance and understand your security program’s posture. Ensuring that initiatives such as continuous monitoring, applying anti-malware, having (and utilizing) an effective backup strategy, patching critical vulnerabilities, and communicating with our teams so they can be aware of the increased threat of phishing are things we should always be doing, but are especially important in times of increased likelihood of attacks.
As ISACA is committed to helping our global community access resources that will assist you in ensuring a global safe and secure internet for all, we are committed to providing timely and informative security preparedness and response materials. The following are relevant ISACA materials—including several that are free for members, as well as some that are free for non-members—that are available to download:
- Implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework using COBIT 2019
- COBIT 2019: Information Security Focus Area
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals Study Guide
- Business Continuity Management: Emerging Trends
- Zero Trust: How to Beat Adversaries at Their Own Game
- Cyberrisk Quantification
- Cybercrime: Defending Your Enterprise
- Responding to Targeted Cyberattacks
- Incident Management & Response
- Transforming Cybersecurity
In addition to this content designed to help you improve your security programs, please remember that ISACA’s global community can exchange advice and ideas on the Engage portal. Please explore these materials—hopefully they will be helpful to you in understanding how to create, manage and improve your security program, especially during periods of heightened risk.
We continue to wish our friends in Ukraine and around the world safety and strength during such volatile times, and ISACA will remain committed to providing the resources needed to be prepared for the challenges ahead.