FBI-CISA Advisory on Ransomware Awareness for Holidays and Weekends

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA released a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to urge organizations to ensure they protect themselves against ransomware attacks during holidays and weekends—when offices are normally closed.

Although FBI and CISA do not currently have any specific threat reporting indicating a cyberattack will occur over the upcoming Labor Day holiday, malicious cyber actors have launched serious ransomware attacks during other holidays and weekends in 2021. The Joint CSA identifies both immediate and longer term actions organizations can take to protect against the rise in ransomware, including:

• Making an offline backup of your data.
• Avoiding clicking on suspicious links.
• Securing and monitoring Remote Desktop Protocol endpoints.
• Updating OS and software.
• Using strong passwords.
• Using multi-factor authentication.

CISA and the FBI encourage users to examine their current cybersecurity posture and implement the recommended mitigations in the Joint CSA to manage the risk posed by all cyber threats, including ransomware.