We’ve been warned: Hawaii’s data and digital infrastructure are at risk.
Online schemes that target individuals’ private information are rising and becoming more sophisticated, as are disabling attacks on institutional data systems, for ransom or to compromise vital services and undermine governments.
It’s crucial at this time to bring security up to date and put information and systems on lockdown.
Early this month, a cyberattack by an international hacking group put Hawaii’s telephone, internet, cable and cellphone service at risk. Hackers targeted servers of a private company that manages an undersea cable connecting to Hawaii, but fortunately, U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigators detected the breach and closed off access before major harm was done.
Last month, President Joe Biden urged U.S. companies to tighten digital security because of evidence that Russia is considering cyberattacks to disrupt critical operations, such as energy delivery.
Marc Masuno, director of business services and cloud architecture at Hawaiian Telcom, sounded the alarm in a Tech View column on April 12. His recommendation: “Organizations and businesses should take the necessary steps to prevent and recover from cyberattacks, including protecting systems, updating software, storing backups and having a plan in place.”
Good advice, indeed. In December, Hawaii was targeted with a cyberattack on servers affecting operations of
TheBus and TheHandi-Van servers. City information technology officials speculated that the attack was the work of hackers connected to Russia.
In the same month, a “nationwide spree” of ransomware attacks that exploited a vulnerability in payroll software affected operations at The Queen’s Health Systems, as well as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and Emergency Medical Services.
The Queen’s Health Systems said the ransomware attack on its employee timekeeping software provider left names, phone numbers and addresses of 8,000 employees open to exposure.
All those events are important reminders that these digital times call for constant vigilance to protect data and infrastructure.
“It’s imperative that Hawaii as a state and as a community of enterprises takes stock of its technology infrastructure,” Kelly J. Ueoka, president of IT services firm Pacxa, said in an “Island Voices” commentary Sunday.
Two of the most common ways tech users leave themselves vulnerable are exposing data to access via the web, and running outdated software that lacks virus protection and other secure features.
Secure data storage, updated operating systems and antivirus software add layers of security, said Ueoka, and that’s good strategy.
Multifactor authentication — requiring more than one verification to access a system or database — is also recommended. For example, logging in to an email account might require both a password and a code that is sent to the user’s phone.
The FBI monitors cybercrime nationwide, and offers these basic strategies for limiting risk of a data breach:
>> Use a firewall and keep it turned on. This is especially important for home computer users or a small business using only a single computer.
>> Install and update trustworthy antivirus and antispyware technology.
>> Beware of malicious attachments and downloads from unvetted sources. Email attachments can carry destructive malware.
>> Keep operating systems up to date, and turn off computers when not in use.
Business owners also need to protect their networks and supply chain processes from vulnerability, cautions the federal Small Business Administration, which offers links to planning and assessment tools. Free cybersecurity tools are also available from the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Take heed, and take precautions. You have been warned.
