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WannaCry: The Worldwide Ransomware Attack

Posted: May 15, 2017 to News.

Tags: Ransomware, Malware, Data Breach

By now you've probably heard about the massive, worldwide ransomware attack, WannaCry, that has shut down hospitals and giant telecommunication companies. The attacks died down over the weekend, but not before infecting hundreds of thousands of computer systems. The attack started as a phishing campaign, with zip files containing malware posing as documents such as invoices, job offers and the like. These were sent to random email addresses, but once a system was infected it was able to attack other systems. Security experts say the ransomware was able to spread as quickly as it did by using zero-day exploits in the Windows operating system that were made public by a known hacker group called the ShadowBrokers. The weaknesses have since been patched, but people are notoriously slow to apply patches, not to mention that computers using pirated copies of Windows can't usually update. To their credit, Microsoft even released a patch for Windows XP, which they stopped supporting just over three years ago. If you are unlucky enough to have your files encrypted by WannaCry, the ransom starts at $300, but the price goes up every six hours and eventually doubles after three days. The hackers threaten to delete your encrypted files if you go a week without paying. The attack blew up on Friday, but it's abated greatly since then. The instances of infections were actually been relatively limited in the US, but China and Russia are two countries that were hit pretty hard, likely because of all the proclivity for using stolen copies of Windows.

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About the Author

Craig Petronella, CEO and Founder of Petronella Technology Group
CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

CMMC-RP NC Licensed DFE MIT Certified CompTIA Security+ Expert Witness 15+ Books
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