The unprecedented global ransomeware attack which is already affecting over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries is an issue of great concern.
Apparently, hackers will always take us by surprise by striking when we do not expect. And there are series of lessons to be learned from this ongoing ugly situation
The Ransomware attack which was noticed on Friday is believed to attack more people when workers resume on today at their various companies.
There are lots of definitions of Ransomware, however, the fact and the truth is that Ransomeware is a kind of malicious script or software that installs itself on your computer without your knowledge.
Once it’s installed and running, it will lock down your system and won’t allow you to access any files or programs on that computer.
“At the moment, we’re in the face of an escalating threat, the numbers are going up,” Europol Director Rob Wainwright told ITV’s Peston on Sunday program.
“I’m worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn their machines on Monday morning.”
All the victims numbering over 200,000 are found within hospitals, companies and government offices around the world and security experts are yet to identify the brains behind this ugly surge.
With the present Ransomware attack raising the tensions of cybersecurity experts, there are no clear cut report that indicate that hackers behind this surge are found.
However, cyber security experts have been working, keeping their eyes on the watch to see if they can stop the malware attack.
Michael Gazeley, Managing Director of Cybersecurity firm Network Box, told CNN that the danger is far from over and that a company’s security patch on Saturday might not still work by Monday.
“A lot of people are going to go to work on Monday and click on a link in their mail — completely oblivious that all of this is going on or have heard about it and think that it’s over — and suddenly wipe out their whole company,” Gazeley said.
“IT managers need to be extremely aware that new variants of this Ransomware attack are being launched almost hourly, so they can’t just check that their computer systems are protected, then relax, assuming everything will stay that way,” he said.
Further, experts believe that the spread of the Ransomware attack will take the advantage of Windows vulnerabilities considering the recent security update Microsoft released
Alas! for those that found it difficult to update their systems, it would definitely be a risk factor, because the attack could take advantage.
“Those affected see a message on their computer screens demanding payment in the digital currency bitcoin to restore access.
The initial demand was for $300 in bitcoins, but it now has gone up to $600 worth of the currency,” Gazeley said.
This is time for people like us that are yet to be affected need to take necessary actions such as updating system windows just like Microsoft had released security patch in March.
The goal of the hacker is to seize control of affected computers until the victims pay a ransom.
Sometimes, there are usually no guarantee that paying the ransom will restore your system files or gives you the access to your computer.
According to findings, in past Ransomware attacks, some victims have paid, only to find the key they are given doesn’t work, while others have found their files are corrupted and can’t be properly restored.
Final Thoughts
It would be ideal to pass this mesage to your friends and family. This is time to take certain things serious especially updating outdated Windows operating system.
I just hope the large companies and organisation that have been affected, such as hospitals in the UK, manage to get themselves back up asap as it has been affecting patients and some treatment.