Is Your Tech Support Company Capable Of Providing The IT Security Your Water District Requires?
When it comes to technology leaks, most Water Authorities in South Carolina understand the importance of using an IT Services Company that specializes in what they do. Without a reliable and secure IT system, they would fail to operate. Our communities depend on clean water – this just can’t happen. Cyber Solutions is here to help.
Imagine this scenario … (By the way, this really happened.)
Malware infected one of our water districts in South Carolina. Their tech company knew nothing about it because they weren’t monitoring their system correctly.
The infection was working its way through their network and could have shut down computers or locked up their data for ransom. What a disaster this would have been! Would the district be without the water they needed? Thankfully, we found the infection and prevented this.
The moral of this story? Make sure your tech support company is capable of protecting your IT network.
What would happen if a virus infected your water authority’s network?
An engineer at your water treatment facility might go to add chemicals to the untreated water. If the computer system was infected with a virus that caused the system to malfunction, it could release toxic elements into the public water system. This is a nightmare that’s a real possibility.
Does Your Tech Company Do The Following?
- Identify all the potential entry points where hackers can get in.
- Perform Penetration Testing and Simulated Attacks on your network.
- Configure your Firewalls properly.
- Run an Intrusion-Detection System (IDS) and remotely monitor your network 24/7.
- What about endpoint protection, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-malware?
As you can see, a comprehensive professionally designed IT Security Plan has many moving parts. (We can do all of this and more.)
Are You Protected From The Inside As Well?
That’s a frightening thought! But it’s true.
In 2016, 60% of all cyber attacks were carried out by insiders. Of these, three quarters were due to malicious intent, and one fourth due to negligence or error.
Your own employees could be an IT security threat.
This happens from:
Accidents: Many employees aren’t educated properly on cybersecurity best practices. They open phishing emails and click on malicious links that can expose you to malware.
Negligence: This happens when employees try to circumvent policies that protect computers and valuable data – like when they share their work on public cloud applications or use a personal email account to send documents home to work on. They don’t intend any harm, but they unknowingly expose your confidential data to criminals.
Malicious Intent: Unfortunately, there are times when employees are motivated by anger or even financial gain. A disgruntled employee might steal sensitive data before they leave your employment, and release it to the public to “punish” you.
What Can You Do To Stop This?
First, acknowledge that this can happen to your water authority. Thinking that it won’t just makes you more vulnerable.
Another common misperception is that all you need to do is to protect your technology. Of course, this is important. And we can handle this for you. But you must do your part.
Employee training is your first line of defense. (We can do this, too.)
Your employees need to know how to identify a social engineering attack like phishing emails. They also need instructions on what to do when presented with one.
Criminals try to trick employees by impersonating a senior company official so they’ll give out confidential credentials. The criminal then gains access to your secure systems without hacking through your firewalls or other IT defenses.
And these criminals are determined and skilled. They will do extensive research to identify your chain of command and learn when the “sender” is away and unreachable. This is when they’ll release their “trap.”
Arrange For Ongoing Security Awareness Training For Your Employees
Hackers are continually developing new ways to gain access to information. We stay current on these changes and can ensure you and your employees do too.
Staying up-to-date on these changes, tweaking organizational policies to protect your company from threats, and distributing updates through security awareness training programs must be a top priority for water districts today.
Ensure your water authority gets technology service and support from experienced, certified IT professionals who understand your requirements. Do what the SCRWA does. Look to Cyber Solutions in Upstate South Carolina.
In the meantime, stay on top of what’s happening in the world of IT security. We post new articles on our Blog all the time. Here are a few to get you started:
Simulated Attacks Reveal How Easily Corporate Networks Fall Prey to Hackers
