Baer's Furniture Suffers Ransomware Attack

Company Overview

Baer's Furniture, a prominent retailer with 16 locations throughout Florida, specializes in offering a comprehensive selection of home furnishings. Their product range includes items for the living room, bedroom, dining room, home office, and entertainment areas, featuring renowned brands. The company is committed to delivering quality name brands at exceptional value, assisting customers in enhancing their living spaces and redefining their style.

Vulnerabilities and Impact

The ransomware attack on Baer's Furniture by the BianLian group underscores the escalating cyber threat landscape within the furniture industry. Occurring on August 15, 2022, this incident could have potentially led to the company's downfall, with a ransom initially set at $150,000 in bitcoin. Fortunately, Baer's Furniture managed to negotiate the ransom amount. However, the attack inflicted considerable operational harm, damaging the company's software systems and computers.

Mitigation Strategies

In the face of growing ransomware threats, companies are advised to remain vigilant against phishing schemes and exercise caution with remote access tools, which are often exploited by attackers. Adopting email protection gateway products, such as Mimecast, and utilizing remote access tools via a VPN can enhance security measures. Furthermore, engaging a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) for comprehensive "manage, and response" services is recommended to bolster monitoring and defense capabilities against cyber threats.

Sources:

• Baer's Furniture. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.baers.com
• Walker, J. (2020, December 8). Cyber attack on the furniture industry, Part 2 - Home News Now. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.homenewsnow.com/blog/2020/12/08/cyber-attack-on-furniture-industry-pt2-silver/
• Baer's Furniture Company Security Incident - NH Department of Justice. (2022, September 30). Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.doj.nh.gov/consumer/security-breaches/documents/baers-furniture-20221005.pdf
• Publicly disclosed U.S. ransomware attacks database - TechTarget. (2022, June 22). Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/Publicly-disclosed-US-ransomware-attacks-database
• Ransomware Posts - GitHub Pages. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://privtools.github.io/ransomposts/