The WannaCrypt attack -- what we know and how to protect yourself
What seemed to have begun as just another ransomware attack hit the headlines last Friday (May 12th) when it began to attack hospitals and healthcare services in the UK. It became clear pretty quickly that this was in fact something much bigger however, with problems reported at businesses and government bodies around the world.
Infections by the malware known as WannaCrypt or WannaCry, began in Spain with the Telefonica telecommunications giant one of the first to be hit. It then quickly spread to the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and many others. In total, over 150 countries have been affected by the ransomware since Friday, according to Europol.
NHS hospitals hit by ransomware attack [Update: Now spreading globally]
Hospitals and doctors' surgeries across the UK have been hit by what is being described as a large scale ransomware attack.
The attack is believedto have begun at around 1:30 pm today. Areas affected include East and North Hertfordshire, North Cumbria, Blackpool, and Barts Health in London.
Is multi-cloud architecture just a fad? [Q&A]
Enterprises often find themselves working with more than one cloud provider. This multi-cloud approach is a lot like hybrid cloud, yet many companies today may not consider this type of environment. If they have, they are more than likely wondering how to manage and govern the data held in separate clouds. They want to know how to find the best use of different architectures in a multi-cloud world.
We spoke to Lief Morin, CEO of infrastructure solutions and managed services company Key Information Systems, to discuss what he's hearing from his clients on multi-cloud strategies and when organizations should skip this type of approach altogether.
British voters concerned about the impact of fake news on elections
With the UK's general election campaign now in full swing, a new study of 2,000 adults finds that 68 percent are concerned that fake news could influence the outcome.
In addition, 26 percent are not confident in their ability to identify a fake story and a further 39 percent were unsure if they had ever seen one. This makes Facebook’s decision to publish tips on spotting fake news timely.
Newsletter bombs are the new DDoS
So called 'newsletter bombs' are increasingly being sent to the publicly known email addresses of journalists, companies, and also dot-gov email addresses. These attacks send thousands of fake newsletter sign-up emails to targeted email addresses rendering the attacked mailbox useless.
According to German secure email service Tutanota, which had its own main contact address targeted, these attacks are easy to execute because most newsletter sign-up forms have no protection against malicious bot sign-ups.
New app aims to streamline hospitality industry payments
Traditional payment systems can be somewhat cumbersome in a hospitality environment, leading to increased risk of fraudulent transactions or customers failing to pay.
Payment platform Rooam is launching a new app that allows users to open and pay for restaurant and bar tabs from their smartphones.
Ransomware continues to dominate the cyber threat landscape
A new report from Panda Security's PandaLabs research arm reveals that real time attacks that involve direct interaction with the victim are on the rise.
It also shows the increasing professionalism of cyber criminals. Highly specialized groups are forming in fields like the creation and distribution of malware and exploits. An example covered by PandaLabs is the RDPatcher attack, the purpose of which is to put the victim’s computer up for sale on the black market for use in a bot network.
Ransomware remains profitable as 47 percent fall victim to attacks
Ransomware is one of the most successful and profitable weapons in the cyber criminal's armory, partly because it leverages an old-fashioned crime in a new digital format.
A new study by Barracuda Networks reveals that 92 percent of people surveyed are concerned about ransomware hitting their organization, and 47 percent of respondents have been a victim of ransomware themselves.
New solution aids forensic investigation of mobile devices
Whether it's due to a specific cyber attack, theft of data, or a wider criminal investigation, it's increasingly necessary to be able to capture evidence from mobile devices.
Forensic investigation software specialist Guidance Software is launching a new version of its EnCase product aimed at safely gathering data from mobiles.
Comodo launches free enterprise threat analysis
Data breaches not only cost businesses money in the short term, they can cause long term reputational damage as stolen details turn up for sale in dark corners of the internet.
Cyber security company Comodo is offering enterprises with more than 1,000 employees a free 'Company Threat Analysis' to determine if their sensitive information is for sale on the Dark Web and, if so, how to prevent compromises from happening again.
How secure operating systems can help protect endpoints [Q&A]
Endpoints are often the weakest links in any IT system, but protecting them effectively now means much more than simply guarding against malware.
As businesses rely more on the cloud and on web-based applications, the endpoint provides a gateway that can be vulnerable to attack.
More than half of people believe using spyware to snoop on family members is legal
A new study shows that almost 5o percent of people believe it's legal to install a program on a family member's phone to snoop on their activity.
The survey of more than 2,000 people in the US and UK by software comparison service Comparitech.com also finds 57 percent would consider spying on their children's phone conversations and messages.
One in four banks struggle to identify customers online
Around a quarter of banks are struggling to identify their customers when delivering digital and online banking services, according to Kaspersky Lab.
The latest findings from its Financial Institutions Security Risks survey show that 38 percent of financial institutions surveyed confirm that balancing prevention techniques and customer convenience is one of their specific concerns.
'Fatboy' ransomware uses a location-based charging model
A new ransomware-as-a-service product named 'Fatboy' has been advertised on Russian language forums. What makes it different is the way it uses a sliding scale to charge its victims.
Threat intelligence company Recorded Future has revealed that Fatboy uses the Economist's Big Mac Index -- designed to explain exchange rates -- to ensure victims in areas with a higher cost of living will be charged more to decrypt their data.
DDoS attacks could cost enterprises over $2.5 million in revenue
A new report from information services specialist Neustar looks at the frequency and cost of DDoS attacks and what is being done to counter the threat.
In terms of revenue loss, three percent of organizations report average revenue loss of at least $250,000 per hour, with 51 percent taking at least three hours to detect an attack and 40 percent taking at least three hours to respond, that means an attack could cost over $2.5 million.
Ian's Bio
Ian spent almost 20 years working with computers before he discovered that writing about them was easier than fixing them. Since then he's written for a number of computer magazines and is a former editor of PC Utilities. Follow him on Mastodon
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