The Russian Threat- Settle in for the long haul!

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in May had all of us in the IT Industry, particularly those involved in Infosec at a febrile state of alert. Russia has a very capable cyber threat to the West and has shown on many occasions that it is not afraid to unleash it. Attacks on Lithuania and Ukraine showed a very deep penetration of targets well ahead of novel attacks and innovative payloads.

However its not possible to be on high alert forever. The National Cyber Security Centre said the following this week.

“Russia has not achieved the rapid military victory in Ukraine that President Putin expected and there’s no obvious end in sight. While we are not aware of any current specific threats to UK organisations, the cyber threat to the UK remains heightened, and we expect it to stay that way for some time. Accordingly, organisations should respond to this potentially protracted period of heightened cyber threat from Russia by maintaining a strengthened cyber posture.

Of course, this puts additional pressure on your systems, your processes and your workforce. Cyber security teams were already under mounting pressure in the months leading up to the invasion of Ukraine: handling a global pandemic, a rise in ransomware attacks and the Log4j vulnerability, alongside the usual levels of ongoing malign cyber activity. These extended periods of intense pressure on cyber security teams raise the risk of poor wellbeing and even burnout, with a potential associated rise in unsafe behaviours and errors. Staff welfare is a critical component of an organisation’s security and resilience.

That is why we have published the new guidance on maintaining a strengthened cyber security posture in a sustainable way. It contains advice for business leaders and managers about how to manage the residual risk from an extended period of heightened cyber threat whilst prioritising staff wellbeing, and stresses the importance of:

• revisiting risk-based decisions to ensure defences are implemented in an efficient way for the long term
• empowering frontline staff to take decisions about prioritisation
• ensuring that workloads are spread across individuals and teams and that frontline staff can take breaks to recharge
• providing resources to managers and teams to recognise the signs of someone who is struggling”

If you are looking for a strategic partner to share the load in fighting attacks on your infrastructure book a consultation today.

http://www.itambulance.co.uk