PSA - CISA Warns of Hurricane Related Scams

With the recent natural disasters that have occurred, it’s important to be aware that bad actors will attempt to leverage those devasting incidents for gain. CISA has released a warning urging users to be aware of malicious activity when these types of incidents occur. Please read the below alert from CISA.

CISA urges users to remain on alert for malicious cyber activity following natural disasters, such as hurricanes, as attackers target disaster victims and concerned citizens by leveraging social engineering tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).

Social engineering TTPs include phishing, in which threat actors pose as trustworthy persons/organizations—such as disaster-relief charities—to solicit personal information via email or malicious websites. CISA recommends exercising caution in handling emails with disaster-related subject lines, attachments, or hyperlinks. In addition, be wary of social media pleas and texts messages related to severe weather events.

CISA encourages users to review the following resources to avoid falling victim to malicious cyber activity:

Federal Trade Commission’s Staying Alert to Disaster-related Scams and Before Giving to a Charity
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Frauds and scams
CISA’s Using Caution with Email Attachments and Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks

Source: (https://www[.]cisa[.]gov/news-events/alerts/2023/08/31/cisa-warns-hurricane-related-scams)

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James Bruhl

Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence

James Bruhl is the Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence for DefenseStorm. He joined the company with 15 years of experience as a law enforcement officer, bringing extensive experience in crime prevention, evidence collection, investigative techniques, and crisis management. Driven by a passion for technological advancements and the ever-evolving landscape of digital threats, he transitioned to the field of digital forensics, incident response, and cybersecurity. In his role, he honed his skills in analyzing digital evidence, identifying cyber threats, and implementing robust security measures specializing in forensic examinations on various devices to uncover critical information and support investigations. James began at DefenseStorm as a security engineer in 2020 and developed DefenseStorm’s EDR Service. He was then appointed as Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence in 2022 and is responsible for nearly all facets of the EDR service. During his cyber career, James has been instrumental in proactively detecting and responding to cyber incidents and plays a vital role in incident response teams, coordination efforts to mitigate the impact of breaches, vulnerability identification, and strategy implementation to prevent future attacks. He continues to share his expertise by conducting training sessions, participating in conferences, and writing articles on topics related to digital forensics, incident response, and cybersecurity. James holds a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of North Georgia and a GCFE certification.