Hey Touters

Who cares about the competition or the marketplace, there are over 303 alternatives out there.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Washington Post

Three cybersecurity companies to offer free protection to U.S. hospitals and utilities amid concerns of hacking attacks

Follow

While a growing number of U.S. companies are breaking business ties with Russia, three major cybersecurity companies are volunteering to protect U.S. utilities and hospitals free amid concerns about retaliatory hacks.

Though no surge in cyberattacks on American companies has been reported, the federal government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has urged U.S. organizations to lock down their systems in case the Russian government or private hackers take action as the divide between Russia and the United States grows.

In an announcement Monday, the three said they would give away four months of their services to U.S. hospitals, which have been frequent targets of Russian-speaking ransomware gangs, and to electricity and water utilities, which are vital to everyday life.

Now endpoint protection company CrowdStrike, two-factor authentication provider Ping Identity, and Cloudflare, which is best known for guarding websites from automated denial-of-service attacks that would otherwise knock them offline, are offering their services free to the organizations most often thought at risk.

Though the ransomware groups are mainly after money, some of them have relationships with Russian authorities. One of the most prolific, known as Conti, warned that it would attack U.S. infrastructure if the United States disrupted Russian sites.