IDX CEO Speaks with News Outlets Across the Country on the Increase in Russian Cyberattacks

As Russian troops entered Ukraine last month, cyberattacks linked to Russian actors began targeting Ukrainian banks and government agencies. As the U.S. and other countries impose sanctions on Russia, experts and U.S. officials are now warning of direct Russian cyberattacks against the U.S.

Tom Kelly, President and CEO of IDX, has discussed what the ongoing conflict in Ukraine means for cybersecurity and how we can protect ourselves against Russian cyber threats in recent appearances on the Price of Business podcast, the Bill Meyer Show on KMED-AM, The Drum, and Fox News.

Tom noted that Russia has been one of the most active countries in the world when it comes to malicious cyber activities. Several cyberattacks linked to Russian actors have targeted U.S. federal agencies, companies, and consumers in recent years.

“As we see this condition deteriorate [in Ukraine], I think the risk of greater cyberattacks rises,” Tom told Fox News’ Jon Michael Raasch. “It’s advanced, it’s capable and they’ve demonstrated for us their ability to do it. It’s hard to imagine a piece of infrastructure that is either not a target or connected to a target.”

Tom warned that direct attacks on public domains such as infrastructure and utilities could create a rippling effect that affects U.S. companies. That means outages and disruptions to key services in the private sector would be a significant concern in the event of a cyberattack.

“In the digital economy, company networks and enterprise security rely on a host of software applications and services. Any one of these could be compromised by Russian intelligence services,” he told The Drum’s Kendra Clark.

Tom recommended that companies and organizations encrypt their data, secure network devices, back up corporate data on hard drives, and ensure all systems are patched and updated. He also endorsed employee security training to reduce the threat of phishing and other forms of data harvesting, the most common method used by malicious actors to breach enterprise systems.

Cyberattacks also pose a threat to consumers; recent data breaches affecting companies like T-Mobile and Facebook have exposed the personal information of tens of millions of Americans.

But a proactive approach can help consumers protect their home networks and information from cyberattacks, Tom noted. This includes multi-factor authentication and strong password types for personal devices. Additionally, a smaller digital footprint and removing risk factors like geo-location settings and data sharing agreements with apps can help consumers keep their data secure.

Of course, responding to a direct cyberattack against the U.S. isn’t something any one person or business can handle. Tom told Price of Business’ Kevin Price that investing in our cyber defense capabilities is a “national interest” that will require federal action and coordination across personal, enterprise and government levels.

As the conflict rages on in Ukraine, the threat of a major cyberattack has never been higher. But the tools you need to protect your enterprise or personal information are available to you. Visit www.idx.us to see how IDX privacy protection software can help you.