Has your creditunion been involved in a cyber incident? If so, consider yourselfpart of a growing crowd. Financial institutions from Bank ofAmerica to Patelco and University Credit Union were victims, aswell. In fact, cyberattacks targeting mid-market businesses were up61% last year; if you haven't already been hit, then it's probablyonly a matter of time.

Credit unions enjoy the trust of their members. A cyber breachcan damage your brand reputation irreparably. When a breach occurs,malware spreads like wildfire, and losses escalate dramatically ifnot quickly identified and contained. Unfortunately, cyber breachestake an average of eight months to identify, and by then it's toolate. Much like treating a serious illness, the best remedy for anadvanced cyber attack is early detection and aggressivetreatment.

Most credit unions now face the same cyber problems plaguinglarge companies like JP Morgan and Home Depot, but with limitedbudgets and technical resources. Faced with constant and growingcyber threats, what can mid-market credit unions do to level theplaying field?

Fortunately, there are new kinds of technology that work wellfor mid-market enterprises who want the latest cyber defensewithout having to break the bank. Traditional anti-malwaresolutions are based on scanning for code signatures, a fingerprintfor already known malicious code. The problem is, it's far too easyfor hackers to change their software so it remains hidden tosignature-based solutions. Instead, new technology based on networkbehavior detection offers a faster, easier and better way.

The latest cyber research shows that all malware exhibit similarbehaviors. No matter the code signature, network behavior revealsmalware long before data is stolen. Without such technology, you'dneed to identify, analyze and respond to millions of discretesecurity events. Such forensic investigation requires highlytrained personnel or costly outsourcing. In contrast, networkbehavior analysis allows any IT administrator to focus on just afew at-risk systems, rather than millions of individual events andfalse positives.

What steps can credit unions take to respond moreeffectively?

1. Monitor. Advanced malware attacks are like24×7 convenience stores – they never close. Make sure your networkbehavior monitoring is continuous, that it provides a mechanism toalert you remotely when systems show early indicators ofcompromise, and that even non-technical users can easily understandthe results.

2. Prioritize. You may not know it, but evensmall businesses are subject to hundreds of attacks every day. Withlimited resources at your disposal, you need to know if any havebeen successful. Easier said than done. Network behavior monitoringshould only alert you when internal systems are actually at riskand, most importantly, show which systems are at the greatest riskof compromise. The system needs to provide actionable informationto help you understand and classify the risk without having to callin an expensive security consultant.

3. Act and Access. You'll need a system thatallows you to perform triage quickly. Once you neutralize a threat,it's also important to assess your security posture on an ongoingbasis to make sure your environment is clear, and provide peace ofmind to executive management, as well as internal audit andcompliance staff.

Credit unions will continue to be a growing target for cyberthieves, and the attention paid to this danger is a focal point offuture NCUA exams. Make sure that your organization has the toolsand technology to combat this threat. Failure to do so could putyour credit union on the front page of this publication, but forall the wrong reasons.

Robert Dickson is chief security officer at TaaSera NetTrust. He can be reached at [email protected] or 314-422-5707.