Friday’s global ransomware attack serves as an unpleasant reminder of how vulnerable companies and individuals have become to cyber criminals.
Friday’s attack spread to at least 99 countries affecting thousands of computer systems at banks, transportation companies and even Britain’s National Health Service.
The attack, reportedly based on an exploit discovered by the National Security Agency, encrypts files on the infected computers and then demands payments of around $300 in bitcoins.
Although a patch to protect against attacks such as Friday’s had been released by Microsoft (MSFT) , many computer systems hadn’t been upgraded.
Ransomware has resulted in payments of millions of dollars in recent years as desperate users cough up the money to regain access to crucial files and data.
The Cyber Threat Alliance offers these guidelines to protect against ransomware
- Ensure that your operating systems, applications and firmware are updated with the latest versions of the software.
- Understand typical phishing techniques and how to thwart them, such as by not opening email from unknown email addresses or attachments of certain file types.
- Keep web browsers updated, and turn on settings to disable browser plugins, such as Java, Flash and Silverlight, preventing them from running automatically.
- Review access and security policies within corporate networks to limit access to critical infrastructure from systems and users who don’t need it.
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