Otsego County Target of Significant Cyberattack

We continually cite just how important IT security is, but like most things, people may not completely understand just how crucial it is until it hits home. Otsego County, would seem to be too small of a place to attract a hacker’s attention, but the Otsego County county government network was reportedly attacked. County Information Technology Director Brian Pokorny said hackers gained access to the county website and other files through a zero-day vulnerability,

Director Pokorny didn’t go into a lot of detail about the hack but has stated that there is no indication that the county was deliberately attacked due to its status as a government facility. Moreover, he reports that citizen’s data stored on the county’s network has not been accessed and exposed. This is good news in what could be a significant problem for county administrators. The county’s website and some other web-based services have been taken offline, while a review of security protocols are being conducted.

What is a Zero-Day Vulnerability?

A zero-day vulnerability can be utterly devastating to an organization’s computing network as it leverages flaws in software/hardware to give hackers access to the network in question. A zero-day vulnerability is an error found in software or hardware that has a patch or fix, but hasn’t been applied yet. Typically the vulnerabilities are found when the software/hardware developer releases the fix, making security updates and patches a ticking time bomb. Missed security updates and patches are a major contributor to many cybersecurity attacks, including some of the biggest ones in history, such as the Equifax breach last year.

How to Prevent Zero-Day Exploits

If your organization doesn’t have an IT administrator who is constantly maintaining and securing your network, a zero-day vulnerability could do it a lot of harm. Virtually any device can put you at risk, so desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, servers, routers, and other networking infrastructure could jeopardize your IT security. We’ve even seen cases where flaws in popular name-brand printers allowed threats into an organization.

At Directive, we know exactly how to react to a zero-day issue to keep your business safe. Our technicians will follow industry best practices to do what we can to keep your business from having to deal with the fallout of a zero-day situation. For more information about how to get the most comprehensive network security and technology expertise to help manage your business’ IT, call us today at (607) 433-2200, or toll-free at (888) 546-4384.