USA Is Cyber-focused After Ukraine Cyberattacks
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) February 12, 2016 -- U.S. Security Associates (USA) has ramped up their Consulting, Investigations and International (CI&I) division with specialized, cyber-focused services. The recent cyber-attacks targeting multiple Ukraine utilities and the Ukraine’s largest airport has only further sharpened the security company’s CI&I division’s concentration on mitigating cyber-threats for their clients.
USA’s CI&I division integrates risk management and enterprise security solutions for a wide range of industries across the globe to thwart cyber-attacks like those in the Ukraine. In mid-January, malware was discovered on the network systems of Ukraine’s largest airport, Boryspil International Airport in Kiev. Investigators believe the malware is the same BlackEngergy3 virus used in the December 23, 2015 multipronged cyberattack that targeted Ukraine utility companies and caused a loss of power to 80,000 people. CNN, on February 3, 2016, cited U.S officials have determined hackers used the Black Energy malware of Russian origin to access the utilities’ network systems, then maneuver to operator stations to gain control of the operating systems. An earlier article published on Wired outlined how the hackers successfully disrupted the power at three of Ukraine’s utility companies and further crippled the automated systems by disrupting the call centers to prevent customers from reporting the outages and paralyzing critical infrastructure by wiping out data from the control systems to prolong the outages.
In October, William Besse, Vice President of the CI&I division, attended the CyberSecurity Leadership Forum in Plano, Texas where top analysts across the nation discussed the evolving cyber warfare threat led by nation-state hackers, individuals motivated by political action who might be an arm of an organized crime entity or employed by a national government group. A key discussion point of the forum was the hackers developing and implementing malicious software into operation systems that control the flow and distribution of multiple networked power grids progressively engineered and linked together via the internet. Power grids that are a wholly automated infrastructure. The malware’s capability to bring down one or two critical links in the infrastructure could be catastrophic since disabling a single link in a fully automated system would concurrently interrupt multiple systems, causing them all to fail. Besse commented, regarding the Ukraine attacks, that “the U.S. systems, particularly our power grids, data centers, telecommunications networks and other critical infrastructure that are entirely automated, is where we are the most vulnerable. The recovery process from a similar attack is much more complex when systems are completely dependent on automation.” When asked about solutions, Besse advised, “the best defense against a cyber-attack is prevention.”
The CI&I division at USA developed the highly focused cyber-monitoring platform CIPACS, which stands for Cyber Intelligence Protection and Containment Scan, to monitor traffic on social media sites and the Dark Net to provide clients a preemptive strategy to combat emerging malware threats before they are launched. The CIPACS platform provides the precise type of advance monitoring that companies need to insulate their computer control systems, software, power transmission systems and electrical systems from potential hacking threats.
About U.S. Security Associates
U.S. Security Associates (USA) is North America’s security solutions leader, with locally-responsive offices providing premier national security services and global consulting and investigations. The company provides career paths for over 49,000 security professionals serving several thousand clients and a range of industries. Innovative applications of leading-edge, proprietary technology enable USA to rank annually among the world’s best training companies, sustain the highest standards of quality, and underscore world-class customer service with unparalleled accountability. USA’s rise as one of today’s largest security companies is a natural byproduct of these differentiators together with a commitment to investing in employee reward and development, giving back to local communities and relentlessly striving to be a security company that is Safe. Secure. Friendly.®. For more information, visit http://www.ussecurityassociates.com.
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Natalie Fischer, U.S. Security Associates, http://www.ussecurityassociates.com/, +1 (800) 705-0999, [email protected]
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