Lessons Learned from the Recent Clorox Cyberattack

The recent Clorox cyber spill left a stain that not even its own bleach can clean.

The household name behind everyday essentials such as Clorox Bleach, Pine-Sol, and Hidden Valley Ranch, is still recovering from a mid-August cyberattack that threw the titan’s manufacturing heartbeat off rhythm and introduced unwelcome turbulence in the production of its beloved products.

Even as the brand scrambled with containment strategies, the damage was done. The ripple effects were felt both on the factory floor and in boardrooms. The present quarter spells financial gloom for Clorox, and market experts are left speculating the long-term aftermath.

Clorox’s recent cyberattack reveals the chilling vulnerabilities even giants face.

But what happens when companies exponentially smaller than Clorox or MGM fall victim to cybercriminals? How do you protect your sensitive information when your cyber defense budget pales in comparison to the money an MGM or Clorox can spend?

As a solution, more and more businesses have come to realize the value of investing in a virtual CISO (vCISO).

Information security is a paramount concern for most businesses. Whether you need to maintain total secrecy about the names of 11 herbs and spices or the ingredients of a special sauce; keep tight control over your stock of good sales leads; or prevent your high roller database from falling into the hands of the Russian mafia, every business needs to pay close attention to information security policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Failure to do so carries a multitude of unacceptable risks, not only from without in the form of stringent compliance officials and unscrupulous hackers, but also from your own stockholders, customers, employees, and board members, who might reasonably refuse to sail on a leaky ship headed straight for the cybersecurity nightmare equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle.

In these times of ever-increasing malware, phishing and ransomware threats, a good CISO is hard to find. And once you’ve found and trained one, they’ve already got one foot out the door. Relatively few CISO hires stay longer than a year or two.

Cybersecurity management, which used to be the province of the IT guy who kept the network operating, has gradually morphed into a C-level position upon which the very existence of a company or organization depends.

A capable CISO is not a tech geek who never met an expensive system or gadget he can live without. Effective cyber threat management requires a set of skills not readily available. IT whiz kids without the necessary skills quickly find themselves out of their depth in the battle of wits with more experienced cyber criminals.

For this role, it is important to hire someone who has business savvy, a person who can ensure that your IT systems are robustly protected, without bankrupting your company in the process.

Trying to find a way to protect your company against every possible scenario usually leaves you unprotected, because the bad guys will always manage to find and exploit a weakness as your IT system grows ever more complex; as the old saying goes, don’t spend a million to protect a thousand.

For many small companies, it makes more sense to hire an experienced consultant than to hire a niche-qualified internal resource. For mid-size or even for relatively large companies, it often makes sense to consult with a vCISO, particularly in the wake of a hack, before or after a security audit, and during the process of implementing a new cybersecurity system. Better to work with a team-supported executive leader rather than a single resource with limited knowledge, bandwidth, and experience.

It also makes sense financially. Instead of shelling out an exorbitant $200,000 or more annually for an in-house CISO, Cyber Defense Advisors provides top-notch vCISOs on a need basis, making it a pocket-friendly alternative. Every company is unique. We get that. Our vCISOs craft bespoke cybersecurity plans, ensuring alignment with your firm’s goals. Need to comply with cybersecurity benchmarks? We’ve got it covered, from GDPR to ISO 27001. We back our vCISOs every step of the way. And it’s not just about fending off threats. Our vCISOs weave cybersecurity into the corporate fabric, bridging gaps between key players and fostering a culture of constant vigilance.

If the Clorox incident sounds an alarm, it’s this—there’s no compromising on cybersecurity. Engaging a Cyber Defense Advisors vCISO might just be the shield your business needs in this unpredictable digital era.

Cyber Defense Advisors is a tightly-knit team of highly-experienced IT security professionals who perform at the highest level. We love what we do. We offer experience in an array of top-level business and government roles.

You have spent years establishing and growing your company. Laying a solid foundation for business success requires tremendous effort and stamina. You can’t afford to leave yourself vulnerable to a cyberattack that can turn everything you’ve built to ruin.

Keeping your company safe from cyber criminals, careless employees and unscrupulous competitors is what we do best.

Contact Cyber Defense Advisors to learn more.