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CISA urges companies to take action to combat malicious cyber activity

Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security Financial Crimes Iran CISA Of Interest to Non-US Persons Ransomware

Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

On September 14, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, along with several other federal agencies and international partners, released a joint cybersecurity advisory (CSA) highlighting continued malicious cyber activity taken by advanced persistent threat actors affiliated with the Iranian Government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The CSA recommended that companies continually test their security programs to protect against longstanding online threats that may arise from IRGC-affiliated actors known for exploiting vulnerabilities for ransom operations. “Our unified purpose is to drive timely and prioritized adoption of mitigations and controls that are most effective to reducing risk to all cyber threats,” CISA said in its announcement. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson added that the U.S. Treasury Department “is dedicated to collaborating with other U.S. government agencies, allies, and partners to combat and deter malicious cyber-enabled actors and their activities, especially ransomware and cybercrime that targets economic infrastructure.” He noted that the CSA provides information on specific tactics, techniques, and procedures used by IRGC-affiliated actors, and advised both the public and private sector to use the information to strengthen cybersecurity resilience and reduce the risk of ransomware incidents. Organizations are encouraged to review a 2021 Treasury advisory, which highlights the sanctions risks associated with ransomware payments and provides steps for companies to take to mitigate the risk of being a victim of ransomware (covered by InfoBytes here).