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The latest from bank authorities on the emerging cybersecurity threats as a
result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine

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STAY INFORMED. STAY SAFE.

A COOPERATIVE RESOURCE TO KEEP COMMUNITY BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AT THE
FOREFRONT OF CYBERSECURITY

 
LEARN MORE
WATCH
LATEST NEWS
 


WHAT IS KMBS?

KeepMyBankSecure.com is a cooperatively produced and underwritten resource for
North American independent banks and financial institutions to learn and stay
informed of the latest in cybersecurity planning and strategy. Our initiative
was founded in 2021 by CalTech with the cooperation and assistance of Texas
state banking authorities, state banking associations, and community bank
leaders.

With the increasing number of recent threats against and attacks on U.S.
institutions by malicious actors, we believe it is important for regulated
industries such as banking to make cybersecurity a top priority. Now more than
ever, cybersecurity should not just be a part of annual planning, but a part of
the overall financial institution business model.

 


ENGAGE

We aim to further raise awareness and discussions around cybersecurity as a
means to decrease the vulnerabilities of financial institutions. As threats
increase, so too must our awareness.


INFORM

Knowledge is power. The more banks and their people know about cyber threats and
how threat actors go about exploiting our institutions, the better equipped we
can all be at preventing attacks.


INSTILL

Bank and financial institution cybersecurity is no longer a line item, but a
mindset. We seek to help banks protect against threats by encouraging leaders to
make it a part of their business models.

MORE
 


THE LATEST

 

HEIGHTENED RISK OF CYBER THREATS AFTER RUSSIA ATTACK ON UKRAINE

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Due to the greater international situation surrounding recent attacks occurring
in Ukraine by Russia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released the
following information for U.S. financial institutions:

In this heightened threat environment, CISA asks that organizations lower
thresholds for reporting incidents to the FBI or CISA to help the U.S.
government identify issues and help protect against further attack or victims.

Reporting can be to CISA at central@cisa.gov or (888) 282-0870; or to an FBI
local field office, to the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937, or
to CyWatch@fbi.gov.

And, for bank business customers and consumers, you may find information at
CISA’s Shields-Up website: https://www.cisa.gov/shields-up

Authorities have shared with Keep My Bank Secure that they have been in contact
with banks and banking commissions to communicate specific steps they will need
to take in this heightened threat environment. Keep My Bank Secure will continue
to post updates as this situation evolves.

 


ANATOMY OF A CYBER ATTACK

Can this really happen? Yes. It already does. Find out how.

 


EXPERT ADVICE

Recorded in late-2021, we invited Executive Chairman, Trey Maust, of Lewis &
Clark Bank of Portland, Oregon and Phillip Hinkle, Director of IT Security
Examinations for the Texas Department of Banking, to sit down and talk about a
range of topics related to cybersecurity. Specifically, the two focused on
issues impacting community banks and financial institutions. Learn more about
these topics below, as we progressively release the videos through 2022.

CYBERSECURITY
STRATEGY

What are some of the best practices in planning your financial institution’s
strategy for cybersecurity?

RANSOMWARE SELF-ASSESSMENT

There’s a tool available for any bank or financial institution to assess their
preparedness for a cyber attack — the Ransomware Self-assessment Tool.

CYBERSECURITY MANAGEMENT

Do you handle cybersecurity on your own, or bring in outside experts? Let’s talk
Cybersecurity Management.

 

CIS CONTROLS
& FFIEC CAT

This segment covers CIS Controls and the FFIEC CAT — two important standards in
staying atop your institution’s cybersecurity practices and planning.

MOCK FFIEC EXAMS


Mock FFIEC Exams too often focus on compliance rather than on securing your
bank. This is a mistake. Phillip Hinkle shares his take on the subject with Trey
Maust.

MANAGEMENT AND BOARD EDUCATION ON CYBERSECURITY

Board management and education on cybersecurity is a road one shouldn’t take
alone. Lean on trade associations, experts, and make a commitment to knowing
this is a skill set you need to develop to stay ahead of new threats.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




CYBERSECURITY Q&A

A PRIMER FOR BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

HOW DO WE PREVENT CYBER ATTACKS?

There are many tactics that are available to prevent and thwart cyber attacks,
but a multi-layered (i.e. multi-factor authentication) approach alongside
end-user education is probably the simplest and most critical.

 

IS MY BANK VULNERABLE?

There is always a chance that your bank infrastructure is vulnerable. However,
the best way to know for sure is to find and engage a qualified IT services
provider to perform an audit and assessment of your infrastructure and protocols
for cybersecurity. Only then will you know your degree of vulnerability and the
best steps your financial institution can take to lessen your risk.

 

WHERE DO THESE ATTACKS COME FROM?

The short answer is, from all over the world. However, as has been recently
reported by the U.S. government and intelligence community, we’re seeing an
increasing number come from Russia, Eastern Europe, and China.

 

HOW FAST DO THESE ATTACKS OCCUR?

Cyber-attacks can start with the single click of a button but can take weeks to
fully infect a network and steal data before locking you out of access data.

 

WHAT ABOUT MY REMOTE EMPLOYEES?

Remote access can always be a weak point for security. However, you don’t have
to limit your remote employees and their productivity to be able to protect
them. Education, software, hardware, and protocols can all be enacted to ensure
better cybersecurity, even for remote employees.

 

DO RANSOMS ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PAID?

Depending on the scale, source, and sophistication of the attack and your backup
and recovery systems in place at the time of the attack, not necessarily. With
the right systems in place, even partially successful attacks and data lockouts
can be circumvented.

 

HOW DO HACKERS GET INTO A SERVER?

Hackers typically gain access via less obvious means first, like a mobile device
or a workstation. Email is an easy and popular place for them to gain access
since much information is shared between and amongst employees via email. From
there, hackers will typically dig around until they find the servers and the
credentials necessary to access them. This is why it is good practice to use
separate administrative accounts from your email account(s).

 

HOW DO WE KNOW A HACKER IS SERIOUS?

You will know a hacker is serious by the amount of evidence of the infiltration
of your IT infrastructure. For example, if the hacker has encrypted your data
and locked you out, then you can assume they are serious. Another sign of the
seriousness of an attack is the hacker’s choice of communication. A serious
hacker will usually insist on a sophisticated and non-traceable means of
communication.

 

HOW DO WE TRAIN EMPLOYEES FOR THIS?

Monthly end-user training combined with quarterly testing by a qualified IT
security provider is a great place to start in order to introduce and educate
employees to cybersecurity best practices and protocols.

 

CAN WE CATCH THESE CRIMINALS?

Unfortunately, most of these criminals are outside of the United States. Without
government and international authority intervention, options to bring them to
justice are limited. The best defense is to have a proactive plan and approach
to cybersecurity.

 

WHAT OTHER KINDS OF ATTACKS ARE THERE?

Other than phishing schemes, there are attacks known as brute-force attacks
where the hacker simply uses trial and error to guess credentials. There are
attacks that shut down websites, such as denial of service attacks, where a web
server is flooded with false data requests. There is also a credential stuffing
attack, where a hacker gains access to one’s password and login credentials and
then proceeds to try the credentials across multiple sites and networks. This
approach counts on users using the same login credentials for different networks
and services. These are just a few, but there are many others.

 

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M A TARGET?

Anyone and everyone can be a target. If you receive spam mail, you have most
likely been targeted. If you have received an email that attempts to get you to
click on a link by evoking an emergency or urgent situation, you have definitely
been a target. Hackers count on volume and the weakest link to gain access to
organizational data. This is usually through employees and staff.

 

WHAT KINDS OF PASSWORDS NEED TO BE SET?

Passphrases should be used instead of passwords. This allows a longer character
count while still making it easier for the end-user to remember. And, never use
easily guessed content in your passwords or passphrases (e.g. “password”, your
name, sequential numerals, etc.)

 

HOW OFTEN DO WE CHANGE PASSWORDS?

You should change passwords at least every 90 days unless you have complex
passphrases in place. However, even then, it’s wise to periodically change them.

 
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 


TEXAS
DEPARTMENT
OF BANKING


 

Center for Internet Security

 

National Institute of Standards and Technology


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KeepMyBankSecure.com is an intra-industry cooperative public service for U.S.
independent banks and financial institutions of all sizes. We will never share
nor reveal your email to third parties. We will endeavor to update you as
important news and content are available.

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KEEP MY BANK SECURE

©️ Copyright 2021-2022 KeepMyBankSecure.com.

KeepMyBankSecure.com is a cooperative initiative founded by CalTech with the
cooperation and assistance of Texas state banking authorities, state banking
associations, and community bank leaders. It is provided as a public service to
U.S. independent banks and financial institutions of all sizes.



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