About That PC Running Windows 7

February 8, 2021:

Oldsmar, Florida’s water treatment plant was cyber attacked. The criminals/ terrorists did successfully access the plant’s control system and increased the amount of lye used in the water-treatment process. Thankfully, the change in the lye setting was quickly discovered, preventing any risk to the public or the need to take the plant offline.

Cyber Security & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) assessed the cybersecurity breach and concluded:

“Windows 7 will become more susceptible to exploitation due to lack of security updates and the discovery of new vulnerabilities. Microsoft and other industry professionals strongly recommend upgrading computer systems to an actively supported operating system. Continuing to use any operating system within an enterprise beyond the end of life status may provide cyber criminals access into computer systems.”

So how do businesses protect against the security vulnerabilities inherent in running applications on an obsolete OS? CISA recommendations included:

• Update to the latest version of the operating system (e.g. Windows 10).

• Use multiple-factor authentication.

• Use strong passwords to protect Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) credentials.

• Ensure anti-virus, spam filters, and firewalls are up to date, properly configured and secure.

• Audit network configurations and isolate computer systems that cannot be updated.

Lighthouse Solutions can help your business implement these recommendations to secure against malware, ransomware and cyber attacks. Contact us today protect your business.

440-239-8426 / bandrews@lhsolutions.net / www.lsgtech.com