The recent revelations about Salt Typhoon’s massive cyberattack on global telecommunications networks serve as a stark reminder of the evolving and sophisticated nature of cyber threats. While the attackers focused on intercepting communications and exfiltrating sensitive data, their actions highlight a broader, more pressing issue: the inadequacy of traditional data protection methods in safeguarding critical infrastructure.
At HYCU, we believe this event presents an urgent call to action for organizations to rethink their approach to cyber resilience with backup and recovery. Let’s explore the lessons from this attack and how HYCU solutions address the growing vulnerabilities in a hyperconnected, SaaS-reliant world.
The Anatomy of the Salt Typhoon Attack
The Chinese hacking campaign, named Salt Typhoon, is one of the largest intelligence breaches in history. While it is still ongoing according to US government sources, it has already breached eight US domestic telecom and internet providers and dozens of others globally. As one of the largest intelligence compromises in U.S. history, Salt Typhoon targets vulnerabilities within telecommunications providers, exploiting weaknesses in network infrastructure to gain persistent access. The hackers approach enabled long-term monitoring of communications and exfiltration of highly sensitive data.
This type of advanced persistent threat (APT) thrives on weak detection systems, under-protected data repositories, and inadequate recovery mechanisms. For telcos, cyber-attacks and data breaches of this magnitude jeopardize millions of customers and national security.
Supply Chain Attacks: Understanding the True Cost of Third-Party Risk
By compromising a single vendor in the supply chain, attackers can reach thousands of organizations downstream. High-profile incidents like the Salt Typhoon breach, the Snowflake attack, mass deletions in public cloud environments, and the CrowdStrike breach illustrate just how massive this risk has become.
A single breach doesn’t just threaten one company—it can be replicated across entire industries, impacting every customer that relies on their compromised service for revenue, compliance, and trust.
Recovery as a Last Line of Defense
Cloud platforms deliver enormous value, but the complexity of today’s IT infrastructure means you and your team often rely on hundreds of SaaS applications—each a potential entry point for attackers. Even well-known solutions like LastPass or Typeform have proven vulnerable. This highlights the importance of not only securing your data but also knowing how to quickly recover it when the unexpected occurs.
The Shared Responsibility Model: More Than Just Infrastructure
The rapid adoption of SaaS platforms has reshaped how businesses operate, offering scalability, flexibility, and reduced infrastructure costs. However, the Salt Typhoon attack, like many others, underscores the need for customers to understand their responsibility.
While cloud and SaaS providers work hard to ensure uptime and infrastructure security, protecting the actual data still falls to you. It’s a common misunderstanding: many organizations assume their SaaS data is automatically backed up and recoverable. In reality, if someone on your team deletes a critical dataset, it’s not the provider’s responsibility to restore it—it’s yours.
Although providers will restore their own operations after an attack or breach, the best approach for you is to always keep a secure, offsite copy of your data. That way, if something goes wrong, you’re not left waiting for someone else to recover your data.
This is where HYCU comes in.
HYCU’s Unique Approach to Backup and Recovery
At HYCU, we specialize in delivering purpose-built backup and recovery solutions that secure and simple for enterprises. Whether your data resides in the cloud, on-premises, or in SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, or GitHub, we ensure your critical information is protected and recoverable, no matter what.
Our approach is built around three pillars:
- Complete Visibility with R-Graph:
HYCU R-Graph lets you see every application and service you’re using—from one single view. You can quickly spot which critical apps aren’t currently protected or recoverable, so you can address these gaps before they become issues.
- Automated, Secure Backups:
With just a few clicks in the HYCU Marketplace, you can protect any application and set automated backup policies that work around the clock. Your backups are stored outside the original cloud or SaaS environment on customer-owned, WORM-enabled storage, ensuring maximum security.
- Rapid, One-Click Recovery:
If an attack or accidental deletion occurs, HYCU enables fast, one-click recovery—whether you need to restore entire datasets or a single file. Because your backups are stored offsite and secure, you can minimize downtime and keep your business running smoothly.
Why Telcos and ISPs Need a Fresh Perspective on Data Protection
For telecommunications providers and ISPs, data is more than an asset—it’s the lifeblood of operations. The Salt Typhoon attack underscores the importance of a multi-layered data protection strategy that includes:
- Regular, Immutable Backups: Prevent attackers from tampering with or encrypting your backup files.
- Automated Recovery Testing: Ensure backups are not only complete but also recoverable in a real-world scenario.
- Comprehensive Coverage: Protect data across hybrid, multi-cloud environments, including SaaS applications, to close the gaps in your strategy.
Proactive Steps for Resilient Data Protection
To keep your data safe and accessible during a supply chain attack, HYCU recommends these proactive steps:
- Map Your Entire Data Estate: Identify all cloud-based services and applications outside your data center, and ensure you have trusted backup and recovery plans for each one.
- Protect Your IAM Configurations: Attackers often exploit privileged accounts. By backing up and restoring your identity and access management (IAM) settings from a secure point in time, you can quickly block unauthorized access.
- Maintain Independent, Offsite Backups: Store backups in a location only you control. Following the 3-2-1 rule (three copies, two media types, one offsite) ensures you always have a safe fallback.
- Use Immutable Backups: Make sure your backups are WORM-enabled and stored offsite. This keeps them secure from ransomware and other threats, ensuring your recovery remains intact.
- Create and Test Incident Response Plans: Develop a clear, documented strategy for handling third-party breaches. Involve internal teams, vendors, and regulators, and test it regularly so everyone knows their role when it counts.
How HYCU Can Help
As a leader in multi-cloud and SaaS data protection, HYCU empowers organizations to safeguard their data no matter where it resides. Our solutions enable you to:
- Simplify Compliance: Meet regulatory requirements with minimal complexity.
- Minimize Downtime and Data Loss: Ensure operational continuity, even during a breach.
- Secure SaaS Applications: Protect data stored in leading SaaS platforms without relying solely on native recovery options.
Salt Typhoon may be a wake-up call, but it’s also an opportunity to strengthen your defenses and future-proof your organization against emerging threats. With HYCU, you gain peace of mind knowing your data is always protected, always recoverable, and always secure.
Conclusion: Building a Safer Digital Future
The Salt Typhoon attack exposed vulnerabilities in the telecom and ISP sector, but the lessons learned extend far beyond any single industry. Whether you’re a telco, ISP, a SaaS-dependent business, or a multi-cloud enterprise, data protection must be a top priority for all.
At HYCU, we’re committed to helping organizations navigate these challenges with solutions that are purpose-built for modern needs. Together, we can build a safer, more resilient digital future.
Get Started with HYCU Today
Want to see how HYCU can transform your approach to data protection? Start with a 14-day free trial or request a personalized demo to explore our solutions tailored to your needs.
Additional Resources
- HYCU Recognized as Leader and Fast Mover in GigaOm Sonar for Cloud-Native Data Protection Report
- The State of SaaS Data Resilience in 2024
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Backup and Recovery: See why HYCU has been recognized as a Visionary for three consecutive years.
- Unlocking SaaS Data Security With Shared Responsibility In The Cloud
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