FBI: Get to know your IT guy – extortion crews are visiting law firms pretending to be tech support
Summary
The FBI is warning law firms about a new extortion tactic where cybercriminals pose as IT support personnel to gain physical access to offices. These individuals then often plug in malicious thumb drives to compromise systems and initiate ransomware attacks.
IFF Assessment
This article details a new social engineering and physical access tactic used by cybercriminals to initiate extortion and ransomware attacks, posing a direct threat to organizations.
Defender Context
Defenders need to be aware of this evolving social engineering tactic that bypasses traditional network perimeter defenses by exploiting physical access. Robust access control policies, security awareness training for all staff on identifying impersonators, and stringent policies on the use of external media (like USB drives) are critical preventative measures.