Two companies that provide Usenet services have disclosed security breaches today. The two companies, UseNeXT and Usenet.nl, blamed the breaches on “a security vulnerability at a partner company. “Neither UseNeXT nor Usenet.nl have named the third-party company whose software enabled the intrusion. It is unclear if this is referring to a Usenet desktop client or a server-side service. Both Usenet providers have now shut down their websites to investigate the breach.
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This breach really highlights the knock-on effects of poor cybersecurity. Companies do not exist on their own. They are part of a network of suppliers, customers, and individual employees. When one organisation, even a small one, fails to take their security seriously it can have implications for the entire supply chain. Luckily, basic cyber hygiene like keeping software up to date and having secure passwords can go a long way in preventing the majority of breaches like this. Even the smallest companies can thoroughly protect themselves by following government guidelines like those set out in the Cyber Essentials scheme.