One Source Pioneers Movement of Cyberattack Preparedness to #DefendNC

Earlier this month when NC Governor Roy Cooper urged the public to be vigilant in preventing cyberattacks, our company, One Source, as a NC-based managed security company aggressively took action to lead the way to protect our home state and launched a movement, #DefendNC. This initiative’s objective is to help bring greater awareness of cyberthreats and ways to avoid them to protect the people, businesses and government agencies of North Carolina.

“At One Source, we understand the threats posed by cyberattacks to our community. That’s why we’ve been helping companies worldwide manage and protect their critical business services for the past 25 years from our home state of North Carolina. We have deep roots here, and we’re committed to helping North Carolinians protect themselves with expertise guidance, education and consultation” explained Steve Cobb, OneSource’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

According to Accenture, $2.6 million is the average cost of a malware attack on a company. While some attacks are easily avoided with a little precaution, others are more sophisticated and difficult to prevent with even the most comprehensive intelligence. But when successful, any cyberattack, no matter how large or small, can impair businesses, compromise private data and stall important operations—not to mention, pile up huge costs…. and even close a business down.

Cyberattacks: It’s Not IF But WHEN.

Governor Cooper’s message comes amidst rising global tensions, most notably with Iran. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security office released an advisory on January 6 warning of an increased threat of cyberattacks against political campaigns and finance, energy and telecom organizations.

The risks from cyberattacks have actually been growing for a while. The FBI has reported that since 2018, “the losses from ransomware attacks have increased significantly”, even though the frequency of attacks has stayed the same. This means that attackers are using more sophisticated, targeted methods to fool victims and hack into their IT systems. Now more than ever, individuals and organizations alike need to understand the risks and take action to protect themselves.

Who (And What) Is At Risk?

One of the most common cyberattacks is ransomware. In these attempts, hackers gain access to data and systems and then encrypt them, preventing the rightful owners from accessing their info unless they pay a ransom.

You can imagine the type of havoc this wreaks on businesses and civil services. Think of a city being completely shut down and no one able to pay utility bills or parking tickets. Court cases postponed due to not being able to get to records. What if a hospital loses access to its patient records or its IT systems, and can’t safely accept incoming patients? Businesses not able to carry out necessary operations, such as shipping products or processing payments, causing commerce to stall and breach in customer financial information. This would have devastating consequences, even if it only lasted a few hours.

While cyberattacks can impact all aspects of business and civil life, the most at-risk populations are those who don’t have the resources or awareness to prevent threats. For instance, people who are not technologically savvy may lack the knowledge needed to recognize and ignore a phishing email.

There is also an increased risk for smaller or mid-market companies, who may not have dedicated or expert cybersecurity personnel on staff. In fact, according to analyst Hyoun Park with Amalgam Insights as much as 65% of small and medium businesses have no plans or policies to deal with a security breach. These companies likely also don’t have the budget to spend on market-leading cybersecurity technology. Simply buying an antivirus package is not enough to protect essential business operations. To ensure the highest degree of protection, companies need to understand the cyber threats that exist, why they specifically may be at risk and how they can best protect themselves.

How We’ll #DefendNC (and Beyond!) — Together

To help the most vulnerable organizations and members of our community, One Source pledges to #DefendNC. We want to help increase awareness and drive protection for anyone in our home state who does not have ready access to it.

For businesses in the state of North Carolina (and beyond!) who are concerned about cybersecurity, One Source is here to help. We’re offering comprehensive threat assessments to help you identify your unique risks, and where you may have some security gaps to fill. We can then help you access security solutions that might otherwise be out of budget and out of reach.

Our mission is to serve businesses through expertly managed services, to ease operational headaches and free up room in IT budgets. #DefendNC is a natural next step to carry out this mission and protect North Carolinians.