October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month | TransUnion Hit in Salesforce Phishing Attack
🛡️ October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Stay Alert, Stay Secure
Brought to you by A.A.B.S. (All About Business Solutions)
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is here — and the timing couldn’t be more critical. September brought major breaches, phishing attacks, and scams targeting older adults. Below are the highlights and the practical steps your team can take today.
⚠️ 1) Salt Typhoon Breaches 200 U.S. Companies
Early in September, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warned about Salt Typhoon, a state-sponsored espionage group targeting global networks across telecom, government, transportation, lodging, and military sectors.
These actors commonly exploit known vulnerabilities and modify routers to maintain persistent, long-term access—no novel zero-days required.
Key takeaway: The door isn’t “new”—it’s unpatched. If it’s exposed, they’ll find it.
✅ What You Can Do
- Patch immediately. Prioritize internet-facing devices, VPNs, firewalls, and routers.
- Adopt a managed patching program to reduce lag between disclosure and deployment.
- Continuously inventory assets and verify unsupported/legacy gear is isolated or upgraded.
🔓 2) TransUnion Breach via Salesforce Phishing
TransUnion disclosed a breach impacting approximately 4.4 million U.S. consumers after attackers leveraged a Salesforce phishing vector. Exposed data reportedly includes names, addresses, dates of birth, emails, phone numbers, and unredacted SSNs.
This is a pointed reminder: even mature enterprises are vulnerable to credential theft and session hijacking through well-crafted phishing.
✅ What You Can Do
- Map and minimize PII data stores; apply least privilege and encryption.
- Run an annual (or more frequent) penetration test to validate controls.
- Deploy phishing simulations and ongoing security awareness training.
- Enforce MFA and conditional access for all SaaS platforms.
🎣 3) Online Scams Target Older Adults
Scammers manufacture urgency with scripts like: “Someone is using your accounts,” “Your SSN is tied to crimes,” or “Your computer is hacked—call now.” The goal is always the same: move money under the guise of protection or investigation.
🚫 How to Stop It
- Don’t answer unknown numbers. If answered, hang up immediately—being “rude” is safe.
- Educate parents and grandparents on social engineering red flags.
- Verify directly with your bank or provider using the number on your card or their website.
- Report incidents to the FTC and local authorities.
🧭 Tech Talk: Protecting Your Org in the AI Era
October 30 at 2:00 p.m. ET — Join John Bruggeman (Consulting CISO) and Matt Thomas (Director of Security Operations & Compliance) for a practical session on:
- Evolving threats in the AI era
- Modernizing your Security Operations Center (or small security team)
- Actionable controls you can implement this quarter
🔒 Final Thought
Cybersecurity isn’t just about tools—it’s about consistency, vigilance, and education. Patching systems, testing defenses, and training people form the backbone of a resilient posture.
At A.A.B.S., we help businesses stay a step ahead with secure, affordable, and scalable cyber solutions.
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