Wannacry Ransomware Attacks Reading Time: 3 minutes

Here we go again…it should come as no surprise to anyone who follows cybersecurity that another massive cyberattack has occurred, on a global scale. This time, the ransomware attack requested payments of $300 in Bitcoin currency – per computer – in order to preserve files that would otherwise be allegedly destroyed. Among those affected were multiple hospitals and health care facilities in the U.K., as well as industries and organizations in approximately 99 countries globally.

Wannacry Ransomware Attacks

We all know that ransomware has been on the rise for years, with a major increase since approximately 2013; the latest, the “WannaCry,”or “WannaCrypto,” is just the latest variant, and it is not likely to be the last. Aside from the possible copycat threats, you can be sure the black hats are hard at work on the next cyber threat.

The Rise of Copycats

“WannaCry is done, now it’s the turn of the copycat attacks,” said Melih Abdulhayoglu, CEO of Comodo.  “The less sophisticated Internet criminals don’t bother to write attacks themselves, they just reverse engineer the work of others. Why bother to write your own malware when you can just remove the kill switch from WannaCry and replace the Bitcoin wallet address with your own? When faced with such a disaster, it is tempting to look for people to blame but that’s the wrong mindset because the cybercriminals, who will keep attacking until caught and locked up, are most at fault” – Melih added.

How WannaCry Ransomware Could Have Been Avoided

Microsoft launched new XP and Vista versions after Windows 95 to aid PC Security and networks should have kept pace with the changes to protect their networks.  Upgrading systems, however, takes manpower and resources that many of the enterprises who have been hit hard refused to provide. Instead of pointing fingers, we should be asking what steps could have been taken to avoid this and what can we do now to prevent future attacks.

What is apparent in all of this is also that while the experts are saying the trouble allegedly started with a basic phishing attack that found vulnerabilities in unpatched Microsoft Windows software, it could likely have been prevented, had certain safeguards been in place.

How You Can Safeguard Now

Comodo Containment technology is designed to combat situations just like this. As an example, a Comodo user video illustrates that there is no infection of WannaCry when Comodo products are installed on that computer.

Watch the Video Below:

Where Did It All Began?

According to industry experts, many of the WannaCry infections were probably triggered as an endpoint user – perhaps a hospital employee in the UK, a student at a university, etc. – clicked on a toxic email. As simple as that, the blackhats are in, files are held for ransom.

Endpoint protection, as we learn almost daily is increasingly vital for enterprises large and small. We have seen in the past how infections can debilitate the functions of major organizations in particular are vulnerable because of the type of the data they need to access on a daily basis and to protect.

Get a Comprehensive Solution to Combat this Attack

No matter the nature of the enterprise, vulnerabilities are increasing – simply due to the persistence and prevalence of hackers. Larger organizations, because of the number of endpoints available, as well as the possibility for larger gain for cybercriminals, may potentially be even more vulnerable. There are solutions!. With Comodo’s Threat Analysis Report, you can determine where your defence against cyber threats need shoring up and there are solutions that can be tailor-made to suit every enterprise situation.

Endpoint Security

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