Phil Castle, The Business Times

An escalating war of cyber attacks threaten not only businesses, but also critical infrastructure, according to the executive of a cybersecurity firm.

“This scenario is pretty bad,” said Kurtis Minder,  co-founder and chief executive officer of GroupSense.

Minder delivered the keynote presentation at the Western Colorado Economic Summit in Grand Junction, detailing a war he said is waged on a worldwide level, but  many people aren’t yet aware exists.

GroupSense is a leading provider of digital risk services that protect some of the largest business and government organizations. Minder has negotiated some of the largest data breach, extortion and ransomware cases worldwide. “I have a weird job,” he said. “I negotiate with the bad guys.”

Those bad guys often break into computer systems, steal data, encrypt and lock files and then hold that data for ransom, he said. Businesses of all sizes have become targets for cyber attacks.

The police are often notified, but usually can’t offer any assistance other than to suggest victims contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation or other authorities.

Minder said he he’s involved in efforts to establish a digital crime investigative unit in Colorado to help local law enforcement respond to cyber attacks.

Businesses can implement some basic and inexpensive practices — including what Minder termed cyber hygiene — to prevent cyber attacks. Business owners and managers need not be experts, he said. “You don’t have to be a doctor to learn how not to die.”

In addition to businesses, though, cyber attacks also threaten such critical infrastructure as municipal water treatment facilities and other utilities.

In 2023, Minder partnered with a local cohort that included the Grand Junction Economic Partnership and Colorado Mesa University to apply for what’s known as a tech hub designation for the Grand Junction area. While the application didn’t result in a designation, Minder said the work revealed the need to protect infrastructure through cybersecurity measures.

That includes management of the Colorado River and the water that supplies eight western states, he said. That water is currently managed manually, but could be managed more effectively with technology — if protections are put in place. Minder said he’s working with local and regional organizations to launch a program based in Grand Junction to do just that — an effort that could bring jobs and recognition to the area. “It’s a huge win for the Western Slope.”