Across state and native governments within the U.S., the favored social media platform TikTok is being banned. The U.S. Federal authorities can be taking motion. This consists of the State of South Dakota the place Governor Kristi Noem issued an executive order to dam TikTok from state units utilized by authorities staff, contractors, and companies. And the State of Maryland, the place Governor Larry Hogan has simply issued an emergency directive to ban using TikTok and different Chinese or Russian based mostly merchandise and platforms by state authorities officers.
As TikTok bans develop, Umbrella key to securing authorities
Under Hogan’s directive, Maryland companies are to take away all merchandise that fall on this class from state networks, implement measures to forestall their set up, and implement community restrictions to forestall their use and entry. Maryland state Chief Information Systems Officer (CISO) Chip Stewart states “This action represents a critical step in protecting Maryland State systems from cybersecurity threats caused by foreign organizations”. The Washington Post studies that the states of Wisconsin and Florida are additionally making related strikes.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can be getting concerned, noting considerations (extra right here) that TikTok can push Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affect via its suggestion algorithm in addition to gather consumer information and even management software program for espionage functions and to compromise customers (be taught extra). Thankfully for state, native, and federal companies the risk posed by TikTok to their networks, information, and customers may be shortly blocked utilizing Cisco Umbrella.
Blocking TikTok is simpler than you suppose
Using a firewall or MDM to dam TikTok isn’t as efficient as utilizing Cisco Umbrella for distant customers off the company community. As governments transfer in the direction of hybrid work environments, this functionality is now vital.
Blocking TikTok is a fast five-minute course of and is detailed by Cisco’s Phillip Ellerbroek’s in his current submit on LinkedIn (see submit). In it he covers the method developed by our personal Matt Buttner to dam TikTok consumer entry utilizing Cisco Umbrella. This consists of blocking entry even when customers are off the company community (at a espresso store, airport, or in transit for instance).
4 steps to dam TikTok
To assist your company defend towards the threats posed by TikTok, we reached out to Chris Ireland, a Cisco Technical Solutions Architect for our Cloud Security State, Local, and Education (SLED) workforce. He has provided up 4 easy steps to dam TikTok utilizing Umbrella.
Step 1: Within the Cisco Umbrella Dashboard, navigate to “Reporting” — > “App Discovery”.
The App Discovery dashboard reveals the extent of cloud service exercise and threat in your group. It additionally offers a abstract by app class that’s sorted by threat stage. This offers perception into potential coverage and compliance violations if staff use a brand new cloud service as a substitute of an authorised app.
App Discover permits you to simply block the out there apps by clicking on the hyperlink within the utility itemizing or element pages and implement this management for any community, group, or particular person consumer accessible by Umbrella insurance policies.
Step 2: Within the App Discovery Dashboard, choose the “unreviewed apps” hyperlink and seek for “Tik Tok” within the search bar.
Step 3: Next, click on on the “Tik Tok” utility hyperlink to view detailed abstract details about the app and its related threat rating.
To block TikTok throughout the group, merely click on the “control this app” hyperlink, choose your DNS List(s) to use to your insurance policies with a block motion chosen, and click on the “save” button.
Step 4: You can also select to label the applying as “Not Approved” for informational functions.
Attempting to entry TikTok from an online browser will current the consumer with a block web page, which may be personalized to suit your group’s wants. These settings may also block the TikTok utility from performing on cell units.
Cisco Umbrella additionally offers safety on your staff even when they’re off community or off a Virtual Private Network (VPN). With roaming consumer help, you’ll get seamless safety towards malware, phishing, and command-and-control callbacks wherever your customers go together with working system help for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, and iOS units.
Dive deeper
Cisco Umbrella makes use of the Internet’s infrastructure to implement safety and block malicious exercise earlier than a connection is ever established. By delivering safety from the cloud, there isn’t a {hardware} to put in and no software program to manually replace. You save time, cut back overhead, and get efficient safety with a confirmed monitor document of 100% uptime since 2006.
At Cisco, we imagine safety doesn’t must be exhausting. We invite you to discover our broad portfolio of cybersecurity options for presidency. Remember, we’re right here to assist.
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