This is a very disturbing story and points to the ramifications associated with an aggressive malware attack at the municipal level. Decent anti-virus software and firewalls are no longer enough. Next Generation anti-malware products and solutions are becoming more common place and more necessary to remain safe.
Also remember the importance of a sound, well tested incident response plan.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/allentown-struggles-with-1-million/
This sounds almost silly, but for iOS and MacOS users, this is a potentially serious problem. Take a moment to update your devices.
This is sad on so many levels. These types of bucket breaches are far too frequent and far too costly in terms of data exposed. There needs to be a better policing mechanism and businesses need to work on more effective security migration strategies when acquiring other organizations.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fedex-s3-bucket-exposes-private/
https://gizmodo.com/119-000-passports-and-photo-ids-of-fedex-customers-foun-1823035669
This article is certainly on point and is full of great advice for any medical practice. That said, the biggest challenge is the section focused on culture. Culture in medical practices can be challenging because big egos are often involved. Medical practices are comprised of highly educated and motivated professionals, often at the top of their respective fields which creates an environment where the need to turn to other professionals in other fields more difficult. If I mastered all the aspects of my professional specialty, surely I can master the demands of IT and IT security. Sound familiar?
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/featured/best-practices-healthcare-information-security/
All of the advice in this article is sound, but to be honest and in my humble opinion, the most valuable point made here or in general concerning social media and security is the absolute need for two-factor / multi-factor authentication. This must become a component of everything we do online.
Please review your Flash deployments if any remain and be prepared to remediate as soon as a patch is available. Flash honestly cannot disappear/die soon enough for the sake of end user security.
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/02/02/adobe-warns-of-flash-zero-day-patch-to-come-next-week/
Crypto-mining malware is here and it is leveraging EternalBlue. Beware of this new threat and the impact it could have on your computing resources.
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/01/31/what-are-wannamine-attacks-and-how-do-i-avoid-them/
You know you have made it when your name becomes part of the Oxford English Dictionary. In all seriousness, this article truly points to the fact that ransomware has become a part of our lives and a part of our vocabulary. It is here to stay and something we must prepare to battle and mitigate.
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/01/31/ransomware-makes-it-into-the-oxford-english-dictionary/
Virtual Sweater Vest 