What WannaCry and NotPetya have taught us

 

 

Most of the world’s population has recently witnessed two of the biggest ransomware outbreaks ever in the space of only two months. Although the WannaCry and NotPetya malware attacks were individually unique and probably initiated by different sources, they both had similar characteristics.

Both threats spread like a worm through networks by taking files hostage, encrypting those files and then demanding payment for the release of the data that was stolen. Both threats also took advantage of a flaw in Microsoft Windows. Most importantly, both threats targeted corporate users but presented the risk to most home users, instilling a fear of one’s own device getting infected and then spreading the ransomware when connecting that device at work. It is safe to say that one should expect to see a lot more worms this year and defending yourself against this growing threat has become imperative to avoid any more disruption to businesses.

Never underestimate the power of updates.
Vulnerabilities in your software are inevitable and patches are what your various applications require to fix such vulnerabilities and prevent attacks such as ransomware. It is clear that vulnerabilities in Microsoft XP were exploited with WannaCry and fortunately the malware has subsequently been discontinued through the actions of a good Samaritan programmer who recognised the threat and managed to shut it down. Keeping all your devices updated is crucial to your online security.

Bitcoin changed the game.
Hackers thrive on figuring out ways to extort money directly from consumers and businesses and  Bitcoin assisted these criminals in their ventures. Because Bitcoin is a virtual currency that allows for virtual anonymity, hackers used Bitcoin when asking for payment. No criminal wants payment to be traced back to them, so Bitcoin was the perfect solution.

Layered protection is the way forward.
When a network is infected, it can spread through to all systems and have huge consequences. Compartmentalising your networks is the smart thing to do. This way, one infection does not pose a threat to all systems involved.

You want an anti-virus that detects threats and defends your data against those threats immediately. F-Secure has the ability to do this from the first moment of attack as it provides the quality standard of protection you need when facing criminals with malicious intentions.