HARRISBURG, Pa. — As Russia unleashes a series of attacks on Ukraine, the U.S. is warning businesses and local law enforcement agencies to be on high alert for online invasions.
Cybersecurity experts say companies or independent contractors that work closely with the government should beef up cybersecurity as soon as possible. The fear comes nearly a year after Colonial Pipeline was hit with ransomware attacks, which caused massive fuel shortages in parts of the East Coast.
"The people with the most obvious connections should hopefully have a strong I.T. department," said Terrill Frantz, a cybersecurity professor at Harrisburg University. "It's the little guy who doesn't have a good I.T. department [that's] the easiest way to get into a governmental system at this point."
Individuals not working for government agencies could also become victims to these attacks. With increasing casualties in Ukraine, Frantz said Pennsylvanians should expect to see suspicious emails requesting financial help.
"Because of the confusion that's going on, one could see spammy emails trying to get donations for Ukrainian citizens...If there's sense of urgency [saying] 'send money now,' I would tend to stay away from it," Frantz explained.
Some ways to avoid cyberattacks include:
- Turning on multi-factor authentication on all devices
- Using filters or spam tagging to block or allow certain email addresses on your contact list
- Being careful what you click on online
- Not revealing personal or financial information in an email
- Taking advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your email client and web browser.
For additional ways to protect yourself from online threats, click here.