OVERVIEW:
One of the largest and most destructive cyberattacks in history was aimed at the British Library in October 2023. The event, which the facility is still recovering from even a year later, offers a chilling tale of how an organized criminal group can shut down a major information provider. The attackers demanded a ransom, which was not paid, so they released what they stole.
This is from a recently-released report on the attack:
The criminal gang responsible for the attack copied and exfiltrated (illegally removed) some 600GB of files, including personal data of Library users and staff. When it became clear that no ransom would be paid, this data was put up for auction and subsequently dumped on the dark web.
While libraries in the US have faced cyberattacks and ransomeware demands, nothing has reached the size, scope, and damage as happened in the UK. This webinar explains the attack and offers non-technical lessons learned from the IT experts at the British Library, who were still trying to recover stolen data and get their new and existing software back to a “new normal” of operations for staff and patrons.
Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, time dedicated for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. This session is designed for all library leaders and employees, not just IT library professionals, since Dr. Albrecht will discuss what we can all do to protect out Internet and Intranet systems, from the user level: patrons, staff, and library leaders.
LEARNING AGENDA:
- What Library IT directors, managers, and support staff need to know about the latest cyber attacks on US libraries, healthcare systems, and utilities.
- How can IT best educate our library leaders and staff?
- How can we educate our patrons about the safe and secure use of our IT systems?
- What all library staffs need to know about IT-use best practices surrounding passwords, permissions, sharing data, and discovering how hackers use social engineering techniques to gain network access in “seemingly innocent” ways.
About the Speaker
DR. STEVE ALBRECHT. Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons. In 2015, the ALA published his book, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities. His new book, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, was just published by Rowman & Littlefield. Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 25 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with six dogs and two cats. More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht’s professional website is drstevealbrecht.com.
