Florida-based cyber firms are closely monitoring Hurricane Milton – which is predicted to move through the region on Thursday.
US officials have warned about the potentially life-threatening impacts of the latest hurricane to hit the US as approaches the Florida coast.
The category four hurricane is one of the most powerful storms to form in the North Atlantic in recent years. It comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused damage across the US south-east.
In the wake of the storm, Orlando-based zero-trust security company ThreatLocker has reactivated its disaster response plan to ensure the safety of its employees and customers.
Florida is the nation’s third-largest tech hub and home to some 38,000 high tech companies including a cluster of cyber security firms, including KnowBe4 and ReliaQuest.
“We understand the critical role our team plays in keeping our customers secure, and as Hurricane Milton approaches, we’re equally focused on protecting our employees and maintaining service continuity,” said ThreatLocker CEO and Co-Founder Danny Jenkins.
“We’ve relocated key staff out of state to ensure full Managed Detection and Response services remain operational. Our Orlando data centres, rated for Category 5 hurricanes, are supported by backup facilities to cover any potential outages,” he added
During natural disasters, businesses can be more vulnerable to cyberattacks, especially when offices are closed.
To keep networks secure during physically turbulent times, Jenkins recommends that businesses power down and unplug non-essential systems while their offices are closed.
He adds that Hurricane Milton-dodging companies should also verify offsite backups for a smooth recovery and build a secure form of communication with other team members to reduce the risk of phishing attacks.
For long-term disaster planning ThreatLocker advises firms to regularly test disaster recovery plans and ensure that teams know what steps to take during emergencies. Regular training of staff to recognise cyber threats, even during disruptions, should also become standard practice.
“We’re focused on keeping our customers, employees, and community safe through every step of this storm,” Jenkins added.
Florida resident Jim Routh, chief trust officer of Saviynt, an identity security software firm, advises enterprises with geo-location settings used for authentication validation purposes to adjust their models to acknowledge those employees forced to evacuate their homes.
“Employees and third parties will also be forced to access networks from different locations using potentially different devices. Increase staffing levels of Identity Access Management operations staff to address the needs of storm victims and expand call coverage,” he added.
Routh also advised businesses and their employees to consider donations to the American Red Cross and other disaster relief organisations that are well established rather than newly formed entities specific to Milton.
Misinformation
Meanwhile, the BBC has reported that there are fake news claims circulating on social media that suggest Hurricane Milton was “engineered” and that the weather in Florida is being “manipulated”.
There is no technology that allows humans to create and control hurricanes. But on platforms like X and TikTok, posts alleging – without evidence – that the US government is secretly controlling the weather, have been viewed millions of times.
