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WannaCry and WannaCry2 Ransomware
If you’ve been watching the news or reading internet blogs, you have undoubtedly heard about the global ransomware attack that is wreaking havoc on the world – WannaCry and WannaCry2. This massive attack is taking no prisoners and has spread over 150+ countries, with more than 300,000+ incidents reported to date – including several major institutions such as the UK National Health Service, FedEx, and Telefonica. If somehow you haven’t heard about this outbreak – keep reading and ensure you are protected.
What is WannaCry?
WannaCry is a ransomware attack that affects unpatched Windows machines with the latest operating system updates from Microsoft. This nasty outbreak is different than prior strains in that it has a ‘hunter’ module incorporated into the malware. Past versions relied on the end user taking action – downloading it from the web, clicking on a link in an email, or clicking on a malicious attachment. WannaCry only needs to be detonated once before it goes into hunter mode. Once your computer is infected, it instantly searches for other computers that are vulnerable throughout your network. You might be asking yourself – so what can we do?
Educate your Staff
Spam and Internet filters won’t block every threat from entering your network, especially Zero-Hour attacks. Zero-Hour attacks occur when new malware is launched against the population before spam firewalls, internet filters, firewalls, operating systems, and antivirus software are aware of the threat and are updated with defensive definitions or firmware.
End users play an important role in avoiding Ransomware. That’s why it’s important to educate your staff on how to identify and avoid infectious email and websites. Here’s some advice you can share with your staff:
- Avoid opening email from unrecognized senders. Delete the email and notify management and your IT Department immediately.
- Do not click any links in the email body, subject line, or embedded in attachments. These links can contain phishing scams or execute Ransomware like WannaCry or CryptoLocker.
- File extensions are the last 3-5 characters of an email attachment, and followed by a period. Never open an unfamiliar attachment, especially those with the following file extensions:
- docm, scr, exe, zip, rar, msi, msp, jar, bat,
- This list is not all inclusive. These are only a few of the more common unsafe file extensons to look for.
- PDF files are generally safe, however, they may contain embedded links to malicious code that can infect your computer or network. If you receive a PDF file from an unfamiliar sender or domain, delete it.
- If you visit a website and it looks like a scam, it probably is. Trust your gut and close your browser. If you see unusual popups, do not continue. Immediately log off your computer or reboot. Doing so will close your internet browsers. If the suspicious website behavior continues, shut down your computer immediately and contact your IT department.
- Check your Antivirus definitions to ensure they’re up to date. If they’re outdated by two days or more, contact your IT department immediately for an update.
For IT Administrators
Barracuda Network Solutions
Barracuda provides a complete family of solutions that work together to help detect, prevent, and recover from ransomware attacks. Below are three key areas where Barracuda can help you win in the fight against ransomware:
Detect: Multiple threat vector protection
Today’s advanced threats are designed to exploit multiple threat vectors, including email, web downloads, web applications, mobile devices, users, and so on. Barracuda is in a unique position to address these threats across all threat vectors.
Prevent: Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
Advanced Threat Protection is critical to stay ahead of these morphing threats. It is the glue to a company’s security infrastructure, across all threat vectors. Adding ATP to your Barracuda products provides effective protection to keep you safe from existing threats. ATP also protects from future threats in real-time. This security is more important now than ever as attacks like WannaCry target multiple threat vectors.
Recover: Backup
Data protection has increasingly become a bigger part of the security discussion. Having a comprehensive and integrated backup strategy is critical to the ability to recover quickly from ransomware attacks with minimal impact.
Contact Us for Ransomware HelpAbout Innovative Computer Systems
Innovative Computer Systems is a Managed Services Provider specializing in Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) and Corporate Business Technology. We work closely with our clients to understand their daily workflow requirements. Some of our clients include leaders in Ophthalmology, Facility Maintenance, Pediatrics, Law, Urology, Dermatology, Commercial Real Estate, Internal Medicine and Ambulatory Surgery.
About the author
Steve Gerbino is the Founder and CEO of Innovative Computer Systems. With over two decades of IT experience, his mission is to provide the best Information Systems and support for Healthcare Practices and Small Businesses.
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