When the WannaCry Ransomware virus surfaced, it did so at a global scale.
The attack crippled more than 200,000 organisations in 150 countries worldwide and the rate of infection was staggering.
In the UK, The National Health Service (NHS) did not fare well at all. Around 47 regions were unable to proceed with appointments and surgeries due to the inability to access basic patient information.
As time progressed, reports of the virus seemed to have subsided but it’s effects are still felt weeks on. This doesn’t mean that the threat is over and we can let our guards down, in fact, it’s the complete opposite of that. The WannaCry ransomware virus gave us a strong wake up call to why we need to get our online security in shape.
Whilst we can’t tell you that the WannaCry is over, you can count on it that there will be several imitations or evolutions of such a virus floating out there. The threat of infection has and will always exist. The unfortunate series of events have also excelled the importance of having a working backup to the limelight – when things go disastrous wrong, you could at least rely on a backup right?
The threat of infection will always exist, just like it has done so before.
British Airways was very unfortunate to find out first hand to fall victim to not having a working back-up plan when the company was crippled by an IT failure at a global scale.
The culprit here was actually a hardware failure and not a security breach. However, the message remains – don’t underestimate the value of having a working backup plan.
Whether this means backing up your data, having a reliable connection, or uninterruptible supply of power – all businesses need a fallback plan. This backup system needs to be tested on a regular basis as there have been several high profile cases where companies have found the backup to have never worked in the first place.
It’s perhaps more relevant than ever to rethink our attitudes towards technology, our data and how we conduct ourselves online. You may have already heard these tips before, but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate a few of these best practices below.
- Updates – These exist to fix known vulnerabilities and stability issues. Don’t take this one lightly, WannaCry exploited this.
- Don’t click on anything you don’t recognise or looks out of place.
- Protect yourself – don’t underestimate the value of getting an antivirus. No computer is immune, and it would be worth looking into your firewall and it’s settings.
- Strong passwords – you shouldn’t be using a simple password in this digital landscape. It takes one known password to rule them all.
- Backup and make sure it’s working – when all things fail, at least you have a recoverable copy right?
- Regularly review your process and IT systems.
If you find yourself needing some assistance or have some concerns about server-side security, don’t hesitate to pick up that phone and give us a call. We’re always happy to help.
