Hollywood Hospital in Crisis as Network Held Hostage

Erik Bernstein crisis management, cybersecurity Leave a Comment

Examining crisis management for an unprecedented ransomware attack Our last post discussed power grid hacks and the potential they hold to wreak havoc, but what about a real live hack that’s happening now? According to reports, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical center has been locked out of its own computer network for …

Ashley Madison Hack: Many in Sensitive Positions Open to Extortion

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, data breach, reputation management Leave a Comment

Fallout from this case is evidence of dangers from others As predicted, outed Ashley Madison users are being targeted for extortion. Although the reported cases thus far have been of a widespread spam-based attack, it would take very little digging for someone interested in a more personal attack to find …

Learning from the OPM Data Breach

Erik Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, crisis preparedness, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, reputation management Leave a Comment

Doing nothing is not a crisis management strategy that produces results The Office of Personnel Management breach is attracting a lot of attention thanks to the staggering number of federal employees possibly affected – nearly 18 million the last time a total tall was announced – and the clear lack …

Army.mil Hack – a Reminder of the Need to Prepare

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Chances of being the victim of a cyber attack continue to rise While the military has had its share of web issues, it’s still safe to say that its official websites are more secure than your average page. Although there’s no way to keep 100% of hackers out of any …

Reputation and the Financial Sector

Erik Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, information security, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Identifying the biggest threat to financial firms’ reputations Reputation is your most valuable asset, and today there are more threats to reputation than ever before. One of the fastest-growing and most impactful issues is information security, and the results of the 2015 Makovsky Wall Street Reputation Study show why. According …

Information Security (or Lack Thereof)

Jonathan and Erik Bernstein crisis management, data breach, information security Leave a Comment

A look at an all-too-common cause of crisis Whether it’s exposing client data or losing corporate secrets to unknown competitors, failing to secure sensitive information can quickly create a crisis. But, despite the high profile examples we’ve seen over the past couple years, an “it won’t happen to me” attitude …

Hacking Wi-Fi Networks is Literally Child’s Play

Jonathan Bernstein computer security, crisis avoidance, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

It doesn’t take a hardened criminal to steal your data Public wi-fi networks are everywhere, from coffee shops to entire metro areas. They’re also astoundingly easy to hack. In an eye-opening experiment out of the UK, one security researcher turned a 7-year-old loose on a hotspot with nothing but a …

Guest Post: Cybersecurity Takes Centre Stage as a Crisis Risk

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, hackers, hacking, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

[Editor’s note: The below article, originally published in the Managing Outcomes newsletter, is an excellent look at the hot topic of cybersecurity from our colleague and frequent contributor Tony Jaques.] 2014 was a landmark year for cybersecurity, which saw a real change in reputational risk for corporations and other organisations.  …

Crisis Management Risk: Your Apps Have Been Hacked

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, Cyberheist, cybersecurity, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein 1 Comment

With convenience comes danger Smartphones have gone far past being a fancy means of communication. They are our bank tellers, our maps, our offices-away-from-the office, and so much more, and all of this increased functionality is made possible by the use of apps. Pretty awesome, right? Not so fast…our colleague …

Software As a Cybersecurity Risk

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Are the programs you use to work leaving you vulnerable to attack? Publicly held companies are being ranked, both by stakeholders and the SEC, on their ability to prevent and withstand cyber attacks. Although most have put some form of security measures in place, the experts at Veracode say software …

Crisis Management Risk – Web Browser Flaws

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, internet crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

The prevalence and constant use of web browsers makes then an ideal point of entry for malicious hackers In case the many recent posts to this blog covering cyber crimes haven’t made it clear, at this point it’s not a question of whether you’ll be attacked, but when. A new …

Military Crisis Management for Cyber Threats

Jonathan Bernstein crisis avoidance, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

U.S. Cyber Command a solid model for businesses to follow The hacks and breaches of the past several years have made clear to us that cyber crime is here to stay, and that plans to prevent and mitigate the damage from these attacks is an absolute must for crisis management. …

Jonathan Bernstein on the Sony Hack and Next Steps

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Can the movie studio recover, and if so, how? The Sony Hack is an unprecedented event that could very easily become the new norm. After all, hackers have proven their ability to penetrate just about any system they want time and time again over the past couple of years, and …

IBM Study, Cyber Attacks, and Crisis Management

Jonathan Bernstein computer security, crisis avoidance strategy, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, cyber security, cyber threats, cybersecurity, data breach, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein 1 Comment

More data from IBM researchers on the current state of system security The past several years have seen a near-constant stream of data breaches, hacks, and other cyber-intrusions that have left individuals and organizations in some seriously sticky spots. While awareness, preparation, and responsiveness has improved significantly over those years, …

Sony Hack – Proof of the Need to Prepare for Cyber Attacks

Jonathan Bernstein computer security, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein Leave a Comment

Does your crisis management plan include the possibility of a devastating hack? The cyberattack that crippled Sony Pictures, led to theft of confidential data and leak of movies on the internet would have challenged almost any cyber security measures, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said. The FBI’s …