Eric Klonowski, Senior Advanced Threat Research Analyst at Webroot, has offered a few words of wisdom on what’s unique to this case, what people can do to protect themselves, and what’s in the future of hacking disasters.
How the WannaCry Ransomware Event Happened
Technically, how does Webroot detect and prevent infection by WannaCry or other Trojans? Does this mean that no customer running Webroot has been, or indeed will be, affected by WannaCry? Do you have evidence that the initial infection vector was email?
What Can Be Done to Avoid Ransomware?
Webroot offered four tips for those hoping to prepare for ransomware attacks in the near future.
Back up your data. Unfortunately, ransomware can attack cloud storage services and network drives. Create a physical backup on a DVD or portable drive, and keep it in a secure location that is not connected to your computer.Make sure you are practicing good cyber hygiene. Hover before you click to make sure you know the end destination of links, change your passwords regularly and keep your operating systems up-to-date. Don’t open emails from unknown senders.Use antivirus software. Make sure ransomware doesn’t get on your computer by using software that can block malicious phishing sites. But, beware of free security: you get what you pay for.Patch and update your device. Regularly check for firmware updates for your device. This is how companies push out fixes for any known vulnerabilities.
More Is Likely to Come… But Not as Bad
Here’s what Klonowski had to say on whether the threat from similar hacks might get worse in the near future: Hopefully Webroot and any other endpoint security or threat intelligence services will continue keeping up with each cyber attack as it happens. As long as we keep our security systems on par with the threats to them, we’ll be able to squash each new exploit attempts as it occurs.
