You may already be aware of this, but we felt that it bears repeating. The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a public service announcement recently that there is at least one foreign country that is targeting COVID-19 research organizations with an aim to steal intellectual property and public health data. While this is not likely to be a surprise to anyone, the fact that these federal agencies are highlighting this specific campaign warrants increased vigilance by our University. This messaging, aimed at a general audience, reinforces recent technical warnings from DHS. As a note, Clarkson’s OIT office is aware of the warning as well.
The CISA/FBI recommendations are not unexpected, but the first of them especially bears emphasizing:
• Assume that press attention affiliating your organization with COVID-19 related research will lead to increased interest and cyber activity.
• Patch all systems for critical vulnerabilities, prioritizing timely patching for known vulnerabilities of internet-connected servers and software processing internet data.
• Actively scan web applications for unauthorized access, modification, or anomalous activities.
• Improve credential requirements and require multi-factor authentication.
• Identify and suspend access of users exhibiting unusual activity.
