UK officials believe North Korea is behind WannaCry ransomware
Nearly a month after it struck devices around the globe, new information has emerged surrounding the major WannaCry ransomware attack.
The BBC says British officials from the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are now claiming infamous North Korean cyber-criminal group Lazarus was behind the attack.
Microsoft is killing off SMBv1 in Windows 10 to thwart the likes of WannaCry
From the fall, Microsoft is disabling SMBv1 in Windows 10. With the release of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (or Redstone 3 if you prefer), the protocol that was exploited by the WannaCry ransomware will be no more.
The file sharing protocol was developed by Microsoft over two decades ago, and the company recognizes that the time has come for it to be retired. Internal builds of Windows 10 being tested by Microsoft already have SMBv1 disabled, and similar builds will make their way to Windows Insiders and the wider public in due course.
Ransomware attacks are becoming more sophisticated
Following the WannaCry attack last month, ransomware was one of the big topics at the recent Infosecurity Europe event in London.
The worldwide assault woke many businesses and organizations up to the real danger that ransomware poses, but new research has also discovered that the criminals behind such attacks could be gearing up for even bigger attacks soon.
Malicious antivirus apps prey on ransomware fears
Recent weeks have seen a rise in fake WannaCry protectors on mobile app stores, even though this particular infection doesn't target mobile devices.
But using the fear of high profile infections to get users to download potentially unwanted programs or malware is nothing new according to threat management company RiskIQ. Using its mobile database, hundreds of examples of apps that claim to help defend mobile phones were found, instead, to be preying on unsuspecting users by pushing adware, trojans, and other malware.
People in the US are less savvy about cyber security than people in the UK
A new report suggests that people in the UK are more aware of the terminology surrounding cyber security, and are less likely to fall victim to hacking and identity theft. Wombat Security Technologies' 2017 edition of its User Risk Report reveals a stark difference in cyber knowledge on either side of the Atlantic.
The report is based on a survey carried out last month into knowledge of, and attitudes to, cyber security topics and best practices. While the report shows that the UK is generally more cyber security savvy, the US is shown to fare better when it comes to passwords and backing up data.
Botnet activity rises by 69 percent
PhishMe has released its latest malware trends report for Q1 2017, concluding that botnets are on the rise, it is unusually quiet on the ransomware front, and cyber criminals are tapping into international trends.
The report, entitled 2017 Q1 Malware Review, is based on an analysis of 749 sets of phishing emails delivering nearly 10,000 unique malware samples supported by over 14,000 online resources.
Microsoft: 'No known ransomware works against Windows 10 S'
When WannaCry was running rampant on older versions of Windows -- Windows 7 being the most at risk -- Windows 10 was unaffected. According to Microsoft, "no Windows 10 customers were known to be compromised by the recent WannaCry (WannaCrypt) global cyberattack."
That’s great news for anyone running the latest version of the OS, and the software giant says it is working to ensure Windows 10 remains safe from other future attacks. However, if you want to guarantee your safety from ransomware, then Microsoft points out there’s an even more secure option to consider -- Windows 10 S.
UK businesses prepare for ransomware attacks by buying Bitcoin
British businesses are ready to pay as much as £136,000 to get their files back after a ransomware attack. This is according to a new report by Citrix and One Poll, based on a poll of 500 IT decision makers at UK companies with 250 or more employees.
The report says these new figures are four times higher than 12 months ago, highlighting the growth of ransomware risk among businesses on the Island.
Ransomware revenue rises to $1bn
A new report from Trend Micro has revealed that the use of ransomware by cyber attackers increased by 752 percent in 2016.
In the last year alone, the security software company estimates that Locky, Goldeneye and other malware designed to extort a ransom from its victims earned attackers $1 billion.
WannaCry was most Americans’ first experience of ransomware
Although ransomware in some form has been around since 2005, a new survey of 5,000 US consumers reveals that for 57 percent the recent WannaCry attack was their first exposure to how it works.
The study by endpoint security company Carbon Black also shows that seven out of 10 consumers would consider leaving a business if it were hit by ransomware.
XData ransomware starts wreaking havoc
The dust hasn’t even settled around WannaCry, another ransomware appears. This one was detected by ESET and identified as Win32/Filecoder.AESNI.C.
Security researchers dubbed it XData ransomware. It appears mostly in Ukraine (96 percent of cases). The outbreak seems to have started on May 17, reaching its peak on May 19.
It's Windows 7 -- not Windows XP -- that's to blame for the spread of WannaCry ransomware
It’s been a week since the WannaCrypt/WannaCry ransomware cyber attacks began, and the repercussions are still being felt. It became clear quite early on that the ransomware was hitting older Windows systems hard (Windows 10 wasn’t affected), with a lot of talk focusing on the number of at-risk Windows XP systems still in service.
But here’s the interesting thing. Most of the affected systems -- over 98 percent -- were actually running Windows 7.
WannaCry: How to recover encrypted files
The WannaCry ransomware has made a huge mess across the globe, affecting hundreds of thousands of PCs, including critical devices in the healthcare sector. It is so dangerous that Microsoft released a public patch for Windows XP, after it dropped support three years ago.
Of course, the patch did not stop Windows XP users from getting infected, but, thankfully, a decryption tool, called WannaKey, is now available and should help recover your locked files. And the good news is that it works on other operating systems too, including Windows 7 (the x86 version, anyway) and Windows Server 2008!
After WannaCry chaos, ShadowBrokers threaten 'Data Dump of the Month' service, including Windows 10 exploits
News over the past week has been dominated by the fallout from the WannaCry ransomware. Now the hacking group that released the NSA's hacking tool kit into the wild has announced plans to start an exploit subscription service in June.
ShadowBrokers used a blog post to announce that next month will see the launch of "TheShadowBrokers Data Dump of the Month" service. Described as "being like wine of month club," such a subscription service would attract a great deal of interest from intelligence agencies and would-be hackers alike, particularly if -- as the group suggests -- it includes access to Windows 10 exploits.
Watch how much money WannaCry generates in ransom -- in near real time
The WannaCry/WannaCrypt ransomware attack has hit businesses and individuals hard. It has now infected and locked over 300,000 computers across more than 150 countries.
It’s the most successful -- and damaging -- cyber attack in years, despite being rather poorly executed. If you’ve wondered how much money such an attack generates we have the answer -- and it’s not as much as you might think, given the scale.
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