Practical Advice for Businesses within Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
Updated: Nov 10, 2023
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, we have seen an increased threat of Cyberattacks on Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) systems. The UK's CNI is particularly at risk, so it is important that we all take steps to protect these systems.
This advice is also relevant to non-CNI businesses, so please read-on to ensure you adopt the advice provided:
Here are some practical tips on cybersecurity that can help you protect your organization's CNI:
Monitor your systems regularly for any suspicious activity. Review logs or any apparent behavior from your systems, e.g. a new user added in your active directory
Report any incidents that you believe may be related to the Ukraine conflict to your local authorities. The National Cyber Security Center (NSCS) have a reporting function for all business to report activity, link below
Keep your software and systems up to date with the latest security patches. - If in doubt, ask your teams or IT to compile a list of your top five applications and systems and then work backwards to determine what software they run upon and then check if they have been updated. (Note: if you run Windows, you might think just updating these systems each month is enough, however, there are occasional key updates that are not included in these monthly updates. In this case, you should use a vulnerability scanner to confirm this)
Use strong passwords and multifactor authentication wherever possible. Assess any of your systems that are accessible on the internet and determine whether a challenge
Make sure that all employees are aware of the importance of cybersecurity and how to protect themselves and your organization's systems. If in doubt, contact us as we can provide online eLearning on Cyber awareness and Data Privacy
By following these simple tips, you can help ensure that your organization's CNI is safe from cyberattack during the current Ukraine-Russia conflict. For more information, please visit the National Cyber Security Center website:
For any support or guidance, contact our accounts team to discuss any concerns or discussions regarding support. If you're a company based out in Ukraine, please reach out as our support is free and we wish to help any business that needs support during this diffiicult time.