AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Mayor Steve Adler is urging everyone, including businesses, to check cybersecurity measures in an effort to stay protected against any possible cyber attacks as the Russian invasion of Ukraine escalates.
Adler, a member of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Advisory Committee, issued the notice Thursday saying the conflict might lead to attacks.
"The destabilizing effects of this conflict could include attacks on the cybersecurity of U.S. jurisdictions (federal, state, local, territorial and tribal) and that could result in significant harm," Adler said in a Feb. 24 letter. "We have the tools to mitigate the risk, but only if businesses and governments, like Austin, are doing what’s needed."
The mayor said he has been receiving briefings on the Russian invasion of its neighbor and has helped ensure cities around the U.S. are protecting themselves from the heightened risk of cyberattacks. He shared a preparation and mitigation guide by CISA, which details how to handle potential misinformation campaigns from foreign actors targeting U.S. infrastructure, and a list of free cybersecurity services and tools available.
"This is a serious moment and we cannot know what will happen," Adler said. "I’ve been helping to make sure cities around the country are protecting themselves from heightened risks of cyber attacks and are accessing the resources available."
Adler's alert comes after CISA issued a "Shields Up" advisory for all U.S. organizations, urging heightened cybersecurity measures ahead of Russia's invasion. The agency said there are no specific or credible cyber threats to the U.S. at this time, but that all organizations "must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber activity."
"While there are no specific or credible cyber threats to the U.S. homeland at this time, we are mindful of the potential for Russia’s destabilizing actions to impact organizations both within and beyond the region, particularly in the wake of sanctions imposed by the United States and our allies," the agency said.
The agency's alert includes suggestions to increase cyber security to reduce the likelihood of a damaging cyberattack, detect a potential intrusion, ensure the organization can respond in case of an intrusion and maximize resilience. See those recommendations here.
Since the notice was issued, Russia has reportedly carried out cyberattacks on a handful of Ukraine's government websites. Researchers have also detected hundreds of computers infected with malware from unidentified attackers, with some cases in Latvia and Lithuania, according to The Associated Press.
Gov. Greg Abbott has also called on two state agencies to use every available resource to bolster the state's critical infrastructure and to assist local governments and school districts with their needs.
The governor said there's an increased risk of being targeted following U.S. sanctions against Russia. He plans to prepare for an intrusion by using a cyber incident response team and antivirus software to quickly detect and combat threats.
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