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CU*Answers Web Services recently received some questions about website security. This client was concerned about the recent defacement of a Credit Union website in Montana and asked about how this would be handled at CU*Answers. We thought they were some good questions, so we wanted to share our answers with everyone. Here they are:

Who do we contact by phone to completely shut down our website? And does that include weekends and afterhours?

During M-F 8-5 business hours, call the Web Services Team 616-285-5711 x275
After hours, call Customer Support 800.327.3478 where someone is on call 24/7 to engage the appropriate team for response.

If something odd occurs does CU*Answers provide a diagnostic or forensic analysis of what happened?

We analyze our logs regularly to determine the source and method of attacks in order to mitigate attempts proactively. In the case of a successful “hack” we would do our due diligence to learn and prevent further abuses. We don’t have a formal plan to provide you with a report of those findings, but we’d be happy to share any findings deemed beneficial.

Does WordPress receive the same attention to updates and monitoring for security as our site?

I’m not sure I understand this question, your site does use WordPress, which we monitor and update continuously and update both the WordPress core software and plugins, this is one of the benefits of hosting with us. We also use several WordPress plugins to monitor security and log admin logins and changes on your site. Furthermore, Network Services has several protections in place at the network level including firewalls and intrusion detection systems – to name a couple – to assist in mitigating attacks.

Lastly, would CU*Answers automatically post a temporary site or link to take members to a “safe” site – bypassing the unwanted component – to access their information?

Yes, we would absolutely respond with necessary action to protect your members from any security incident. This response would depend on the severity of a compromise, ranging from removing the threat by redeploying your site from a version we keep in our code version control system, to potentially redirecting requests to your site directly to your online banking URL until the risk was mitigated.