Ride the Lightning

Just in Time for Labor Day: FBI and CISA Issue Ransomware Alert for Holidays and Weekends

September 2, 2021

And we have both a holiday and a weekend coming up. Excellent timing.

On August 31, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert regarding their observation of an increase in high impact ransomware attacks occurring on holidays and weekends—when offices are normally closed—in the United States. The alert recommends that you be especially diligent in your network defense practices in before holidays and weekends, based on recent actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and cyberattacks over holidays and weekends during the past few months.

Cyber criminals may view holidays and weekends—especially holiday weekends—as attractive timeframes to target potential victims. This tactic provides a head start for malicious actors conducting network exploitation and follow-on propagation of ransomware, as network defenders and IT support of victim organizations are at limited capacity for an extended time.

The alert contains recommended best practices and mitigations to manage the risk posed by all cyber threats, including ransomware. It is essential reading.

HT to Dave Ries.

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225, Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
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