The FBI has called on organizations to follow Kaseya’s guidance and perform all recommended mitigation measures as it continues to coordinate with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in response to a ransomware attack against managed service providers and their clients involving a vulnerability in Kaseya VSA software.

The FBI said Sunday organizations should immediately shut down their VSA servers and file a report via the ic3.gov calling them to “include as much information as possible” to help CISA and the bureau determine how to prioritize outreach to impacted entities.

CISA and the bureau issued joint guidance urging affected MSPs to download the Kaseya VSA detection tool, enable multifactor authentication on every single account and implement allowlisting to limit communication with remote monitoring and management capabilities.

MSP customers should ensure backups are updated and stored in an easily retrievable site, adopt a manual patch management process that complies with vendor remediation guidance and implement multifactor authentication and principle of least privilege on key network admin accounts.

The Washington Post reported that a group of hackers, called REvil, is demanding a ransom payment of $70 million in bitcoin to unlock the files of thousands of businesses affected by the attack.

“We are confident we understand the scope of the issue and are partnering with each client to do everything possible to remediate,” Kesaya said in an update.

Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, issued a statement Sunday saying the president had “directed the full resources” to investigate the breach.

If you want to hear cybersecurity experts talk about how the tech supply chain can reduce the risk of cyberattacks and get ahead of hackers, then check out ExecutiveBiz's Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations forum coming up on Oct. 26. To register for this virtual forum and view other upcoming events, visit the ExecutiveBiz Events page.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have proposed a bipartisan bill that would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and departments of Defense (DOD) and Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a training program to help federal officials protect information technology supply chains against cyberthreats.

The proposed Supply Chain Security Training Act would also direct OMB to come up with guidance on how federal agencies can use the training program and select officials to take part in the program, Peters’ office said Thursday.

“Federal employees need to know how to recognize possible threats when they are purchasing software and equipment that could allow bad actors a back door into government information systems. This bill will help strengthen national security by safeguarding against cybersecurity vulnerabilities and other threats posed by the technology our government uses,” said Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The measure builds on a recent executive order that seeks to facilitate threat information sharing among agencies, improve the security of the federal software supply chain and advance cybersecurity infrastructure modernization.

“Counterintelligence training for federal workers who buy and sell goods and services for the government is critical at a time when our adversaries are probing cyber vulnerabilities to breach our systems and steal information,” said Johnson. “This type of training will help close a potential gap in our cyber and physical security defenses.”

If you want to hear cybersecurity experts talk about how the tech supply chain can reduce the risk of cyberattacks and get ahead of hackers, then check out ExecutiveBiz's Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations forum coming up on Oct. 26th. 

To register for this virtual forum and view other upcoming events, visit the ExecutiveBiz Events page.