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Chris Vaughan, VP - Technical Account Management, EMEA, Tanium: “ALMA is the world’s most powerful telescope for observing molecular gas and dust, so seeing its operations halted due to a cyber-attack is concerning. It’s another unfortunate example of a public sector institution being targeted which is likely working with very limited IT budgets and staff resources.

Despite these constraints, there is plenty that organisations like ALMA can do to thwart attacks and keep data secure. One of the critical focus areas should be gaining full visibility of the network. Many organisations operating in the age of mass remote working aren’t able to see all the devices connecting to their IT environment and which ones are vulnerable in some way. By having this visibility and ability to fix any weak points, attacks can often be repelled or if one does get through defences then the impact can be minimised.

A high level of visibility should be utilised as part of a zero trust approach. This is where implicit trust is eliminated and the principle of ‘never trust, always verify’ is used. This means that strong authentication methods, network segmentation and lateral movement prevention is key. If these practices are embedded within an organisation’s culture along with effective staff training then institutions like ALMA can carry on their fantastic work without costly interruptions caused by cyber threats.”