Twas the Network before Christmas
By Tim Campbell, Director of Technology Services
As the night before Christmas quickly approaches, I wonder if our Cyber Security experts and Sys admins are all nestled snug in their beds with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads? Or if our CEOs and business owners have settled their brains for a long winter’s nap…
The Solarwinds cyber security matter should be causing such a clatter that it causes all CEOs and business owners to spring from their beds to see what is the matter. In a flash, 18,000 Solarwinds customers had their cyber security burned to ash.
When we peer out the window, our wondering eyes will not see a miniature sleigh with eight tiny reindeer. And that man coming down your chimney won’t be St Nick with a sleigh full of toys wishing you a Merry Christmas.
This Can Happen to Any Company
I readily admit I’m not a poet, but the news regarding the Solarwinds cyber security breach should be an event that causes ALL business owners, executives and managers to take notice and evaluate their business systems, policies and security. Now I’m sure many of you are saying, “I don’t have Solarwinds, so why should I care?” Well, the methods used to breach the security of 18,000 Solarwinds customers could be used on any number of inexpensive IoT (Internet of Things) devices that many companies and/or business owners don’t even think twice about being allowed to connect directly to their corporate network.
All IoT devices should be thoroughly evaluated before any business owner/manager allows them to be connected to their corporate network.
The IoT device market is very broad and there is little to no regulations on the security that is built into these devices. IoT devices can range from smart TVs to digital assistants, thermostats, video cameras, streaming devices and the list goes on and on. All of these devices are basically small computers that automatically connect to servers on the internet for updates and remote access with little to no human intervention.
All these devices could also be used as a convenient way for the next attack on a large number of companies. Avid is well equipped to help you evaluate your cyber security needs. If you have some concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our cyber security experts. We can help design a solution to meet your needs and reduce your exposure to these types of threats. Don’t wait for it to happen to you!
