If you haven't heard about the Colonial Pipeline attack yet, here's what you need to know.
On May 7, a ransomware attack hit the Colonial Pipeline Company's network. It forced Colonial to shut down one of the
largest oil pipelines in the United States. Colonial's pipeline supplies over one-third of the Eastern Seaboard's gas, diesel, and other fuels.
Which means this cyberattack is bad…so bad that 17 Eastern states have declared a state of emergency.
It's affecting millions of people right now, as well as the entire nation's fuel supply.
The "DarkSide" cybercriminal gang in Russia has taken responsibility for the attack. They stole 100 gigabytes of data from Colonial's systems before deploying the ransomware.
This is a terrifying example of ransomware's danger. The attacks appear to have tapered off from 2020's high (a 767% increase from 2019 to 2020!), but the cost of each attack has risen.
"While the number of organizations hit by ransomware dropped since last year, the financial impact of an attack has more than doubled, increasing from US$761,106 in 2020 to US$1.85 million in 2021."
Source: Sophos
Our advice? Call PlanetMagpie now to:
- Conduct a review of your network’s cybersecurity (average cost @ $2,750, which includes network vulnerability testing)
- Review your backup strategy—viable cloud backups are the only thing that will save you in the event of a ransomware attack (free review)
- Schedule cybersecurity training for your employees. Ransomware gets loose on computer networks through a single employee's mouse click. We can train your team on how to spot attacks before they click. ($499)
You can reach us at 510-344-1180 (CA) or 817-806-3524 (TX).
Do you have an "everyday IT" question you want answered? Send it in to woof@planetmagpie.com and it may show up in Magpie's next Tech Tip.