If you were expecting a quiet Friday in terms of cyberattacks, this ain’t it. There are reports of a massive ransomware attack affecting computers on a global scale: in the UK, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, and Taiwan.
The ransomware variant that’s doing the damage is called WCry, also known as WannaCry or WanaCrypt0r. It has so far claimed some high-profile targets, including NHS hospitals in the UK, and telecom and banking companies in Spain.
Be calm and carry on, of course.
In the blog, we’ve been writing about ransomware over the last two years, and we have great educational resources to help you prevent or reduce the damage of an attack.
Here’s a quick overview of our content.
What is it?
Our ransomware guide: https://www.varonis.com/blog/the-complete-ransomware-guide/
Learning more
Free courses: https://www.varonis.com/free-security-courses
How it spreads
Yes, it can have worm-like features: https://www.varonis.com/blog/next-gen-ransomware-ransomworm-gets-deadlier/
Can I make my own (for research purposes)?
Yes, but only under adult supervision:
https://www.varonis.com/blog/malware-coding-lessons-for-it-people-part-ii-more-fun-with-fud-ransomware/
https://www.varonis.com/blog/malware-coding-lessons-people-part-learning-write-custom-fud-fully-undetected-malware/
Reducing the risk
Limiting file access really, really helps: https://www.varonis.com/blog/the-best-ransomware-defense-dont-have-files/
Legal and Regulatory Implications
For US companies, this is what you need to know: https://www.varonis.com/blog/ransomware-the-legal-cheat-sheet-for-breach-notification/
Should you pay?
It depends:
https://www.varonis.com/blog/should-the-website-that-infected-a-pc-with-ransomware-pay/
https://www.varonis.com/blog/hospital-paid-ransom-didnt-get-all-files-back/
Is a decryption solution available?
Check here:https://www.varonis.com/use-case/ransomware-prevention
The ultimate answer to ransomware
User Behavior Analytics (UBA): https://www.varonis.com/blog/why-uba-will-catch-the-zero-day-ransomware-attacks-that-endpoint-protection-cant/
What you should do now
Below are three ways we can help you begin your journey to reducing data risk at your company:
- Schedule a demo session with us, where we can show you around, answer your questions, and help you see if Varonis is right for you.
- Download our free report and learn the risks associated with SaaS data exposure.
- Share this blog post with someone you know who'd enjoy reading it. Share it with them via email, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Facebook.
Michael Buckbee
Michael has worked as a sysadmin and software developer for Silicon Valley startups, the US Navy, and everything in between.