Can You Afford to Lose Everything?

BCMC Session: Are You Prepared to Be Shut Down Indefinitely?
Mike Ruede, A-1 Roof Trusses • Keith Buelta, A-1 Roof Trusses • Special Agent Scott Love, Federal Bureau of Investigation

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Recovering from a cybersecurity attack can be costly and time-consuming. An attack in 2018 cost A-1 Roof Trusses approximately $1.4 million and took the entire operation offline for eight days. “It’s affected A-1 for a lot longer,” Mike Ruede, EVP & COO of A-1 says. He estimates the long-term effects “lasted more like six or eight months” and indicated that A-1 still occasionally comes across something that’s missing or broken as a result of the attack more than a year ago. 

One of the easiest ways for attackers to take control of your network is through email, so it’s crucial to ensure your first line of defense (your people) are trained to spot fraudulent messages, malware links, and other electronic scams. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) suggests covering these basics at your next staff meeting to ensure you have a strong foundation for your team with regard to cybersecurity:

1. Pay attention to VOICE: Even if an email appears to be from your boss, if it sounds “off” take a closer look. Attackers will often craft emails using words or sentence structures that differ from the people they are trying to imitate.
2. Beware if there’s a sense of URGENCY: Watch for words that indicate the sender needs something quickly, immediately, or as soon as possible, or the information suggests you’ll lose access to an account or critical information.
3. Scrutinize email addresses for TINY CHANGES: Look for subtle but critical changes that are easy to miss if you’re in a hurry. For instance, www.framerscouncil.org (correct) versus www.framerscouncil.com (incorrect) or employee@a1truss.com (correct) versus employee@a1-truss.com (incorrect).

In addition, the SBCA IT Committee has created a Cybersecurity & Disaster Recovery Planning Worksheet you can use to walk through critical digital infrastructure questions with your IT team to ensure you’re ready to face anything that threatens your ability to keep your business running. 

READ MORE: A CM’s Cybersecurity Starts With This Key Element