Microsoft lists the following measure customers should take to block ransomware attacks and prevent data loss:

• Keep your Windows Operating System and antivirus up-to-date. Upgrade to Windows 10.
• Regularly back-up your files in an external hard-drive.
• Enable file history or system protection. In your Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 devices, you must have your file history enabled and you have to setup a drive for file history.
• Use OneDrive for Consumer or for Business.
• Beware of phishing emails, spams, and clicking malicious attachment.
• Use Microsoft Edge to get SmartScreen protection. It will prevent you from browsing sites that are known to be hosting exploits, and protect you from socially-engineered attacks such as phishing and malware downloads.
• Disable the loading of macros in your Office programs.
• Disable your Remote Desktop feature whenever possible.
• Use two factor authentication.
• Use a safe and password-protected internet connection.
• Avoid browsing web sites that are known for being malware breeding grounds (illegal download sites, porn sites, etc.).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) are seeking public comment on a joint white paper proposing to publicly identify violators of cybersecurity standards in the bulk electric system.

The white paper, released Aug. 27, proposes that NERC would include a public cover letter with each notice that discloses the name of the violator, the reliability standards violated and the amount of penalties assessed, FERC said in a statement.

The commission said that it has received an unprecedented number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for non-public information for violations of the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) reliability standards since 2018. Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen welcomes the proposed changes as a vocal critic of the current CIP standards, which are intended to encourage self-disclosure.

Whitaker closed with an anecdote about how a simple practice using extremely time-tested technology was able to foil him.

"There was one utility company where we couldn't get into the SCADA system," he admitted. "I finally asked an engineer how they kept us out. He told me they used floppy disks, which were kept in locked drawers, to transfer data between systems."

For the full article, Click on How to Hack Into a City's Power Grid