This week, Jewish Federation shared with leaders of synagogues and other Jewish organizations a new cybersecurity resource — the SHIELDS UP program from CISA Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, given intelligence suggesting the potential for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to impact organizations both within and beyond the region, including malicious cyber activity against the U.S. homeland.

Amy Keller, Federation's Director of Security Initiatives and External Affairs, advised every organization — large and small — to be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber incidents. She explained the SHIELDS UP program empowers organizations and employees to recognize, report, and respond to common tactics that attackers will use over email or through websites.

For example, the SHIELDS UP website has the latest updates, guidance, responses to Ransomware, and steps one can take to protect their organization, themself, and their family. 

SHIELDS UP can be found here.

Incidents can be reported through:

• CISA: email report@cisa.gov or call (888) 282-0870 (24 hours a day)
• The FBI's Internet Crime Complaints Center: ic3.gov 
• NJCCIC (New Jersey's Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell): cyber.nj.gov

Things organizations and their people can DO NOW include:

• Implement multi-factor authentication on systems, which makes it harder for attackers to gain access 
• Update software on computers and devices to continuously look for and mitigate threats
• Back up data and secure offline backups beyond the reach of malicious actors
• Run emergency plan drills preparing an organization to respond quickly and minimize the impact of an attack
• Encrypt data
• Sign up for CISA’s free cyber hygiene services 
• Educate employees to common tactics that attackers use over email or through websites
• Encourage employees to report if their computers or phones have shown unusual behavior, such as unusual crashes or operating very slowly.

"We always stress locking our physical doors to our facilities," Amy added. "Don’t leave the cyberdoor open."

For more information, contact amyk@jewishheartnj.org