Critical Insight, a cybersecurity startup based in Seattle that focuses on incident detection and response, hosted a panel this week discussing implications of the conflict in Ukraine on the cybersecurity industry.
The panel follows the Biden administration’s official statement last week on “evolving intelligence” regarding the potential for a Russian attack on critical infrastructure.
The panelists advised organizations to report any malicious activity to law enforcement and lower their overall threshold for reporting incidents. We compiled several other key takeaways from the panel.
- Panelists discussed three possibilities for cybersecurity: supply chain attack that results in collateral damage, increased activity among Russian criminal gangs, and potential intrusion on U.S. critical infrastructure.
- Panelists recommended following Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency alerts as a primary source of information regarding developments of threat actors.
- The panelists advised taking caution on attributing attacks to Russian threat actors immediately.
- Other threat actors — such as China, North Korea, and cybercriminal organizations — will likely take advantage of the confusion to launch offensive campaigns, the panelists said.
- Organizations should have a clear, actionable cybersecurity roadmap that is achievable.
- Individuals and organizations should continue to take their due diligence to harden defenses. For enterprises seeking cybersecurity insurance, this may include following the NIST Cybersecurity Framework’s recommendations.
- Organizations should restrict the use of personal email and applications on company machines to reduce the attack surface for phishing attacks.
The panelists noted an alert that Critical Insight’s Security Operations Center sent its customers Monday morning about a vulnerability in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge (CVE 2022-1096). The message recommended all clients update their browser with the newest patch as soon as possible.
The panel included Jake Milstein, chief marketing officer for Critical Insight; Bryan Hurd, chief of office for Aon Cyber Solutions; Fred Langston, executive vice president of professional services for Critical Insight; and Michael Hamilton, founder and CISO at Critical Insight.
Related: A list of Seattle cybersecurity companies as international conflict fuels industry demand
