NEW Cooperative, an Iowa-based farm service provider, was hit with a ransomware attack in recent days. BlackMatter hacking group demanded $5.9 million to unlock the computer networks used to keep food supply chains and feeding schedules going, affecting millions of chickens, hogs and cattle.
When investigated, over 653 instances of NEW Cooperative breached credentials were found on FYEO’s active domain intelligence database (among over 20 billion other leaked credentials and passwords). The most popular password leaked from the farming company? Chicken1.
There’s no question that these attacks are deplorable, but let’s at least make it difficult for them!
Researchers studying previous ransomware incidents or breaches reveal that leaked passwords are one of the easiest ways cyberattackers consistently gain access to systems. Because of the severity of the problem, several corporations, such as Microsoft, are phasing out passwords entirely.
Passwords are your network’s first line of defense against unwanted access. Your computer will be safer from hackers and bad malware when you use a strong password. Until organizations find ways to assist their employees to implement best cybersecurity practices, the risk of being hacked increases. We may not be able to stop every hacker, but let’s not make it easy for them.
Start Getting Value With
Centraleyes for Free
See for yourself how the Centraleyes platform exceeds anything an old GRC
system does and eliminates the need for manual processes and spreadsheets
to give you immediate value and run a full risk assessment in less than 30 days
