WannaCry Ransomware is one bad piece of news, which had us in its grip past week. Well, the naming convention followed by hackers was quite apt, as those infected were reduced to crying. The attack – which locked down hundreds of computers and caused crisis in major industries – seems to have subsided, which happens to be a bit of relief (As of now).
And while the hue and cry over ransomware should never be neglected, here are a few valuable lessons which this nasty cyberattack taught us the hard way.
- Always have a Backup, Always!
“Backing up your data can always save you from paying the ransom later”.
This small key lesson falls true not just in case of WannaCry, but for almost any ransomware attack. Say, if you already have a safe backup of all your important data, the pain of getting your system infected won’t be that big of a shock. So, fellas take this as a wake up a call and create copy of all your important data at a safe and secure location.
If you don’t have that knack for manually backing up your data, don’t worry! There is one nifty tool available to reduce your overhead time and efforts. All you need is a secure comprehensive backup solution that automatically back up your files in real time on remote servers. Right Backup is the cloud storage service which is available for Windows, Mac and Android. Download Right Backup from the button below.
Having a backup of all your data files won’t protect you against being infected by malware, but it will limit the damage to a wide extent.
See Also: How To Be Safe From WannaCry and Other Ransomware Attacks
- A simple Patch Can Fix your Life
Had all those systems were updated and didn’t had older version of Windows running then this evasive wave of cyberattack might have spared those millions of individuals. Patching your software time to time has always been one overwhelming mantra of security professionals since decades, and this even WannaCry attack showed us why. The rapid spread of virus only possible by the ubiquity of systems worldwide running on unsupported or unpatched operating systems.
- Lack of Security Awareness
As we’re aware majorly all attacks enter your system through a suspicious link or phishy email. And this what happened in the case of WannaCry as well! We’ve read almost everywhere now that the attack probably begun when a NHS employee clicked on a malicious link. This is one big lesson to be learnt of how our security can be compromised in just a single click.
Let’s hope that now, after the severe consequences of the attack, employers will put up considerable efforts in advancing employees’ knowledge about cyber security.
See Also: Recent Ransomware Attacks 2017
- Not just systems, lives be at risk too!
Speaking of healthcare, as it was one of the majorly affected sector, one of the bigger picture lessons came through. It’s time that security professionals around the world should be thinking deeply about is the fact that cybersecurity is no longer just a game of protecting data. When any attack happens, they have real-world repercussions as well. They not just infect our systems, but puts millions of lives on risk too!
See Also: Top 5 Ransomware Protection Tools
- Technology should stay in safe and secure hands
With regards to the biggest ransomware attack of the history, we all know how an arsenal of powerful malicious tools designed by the NSA was leaked by the Shadow Brokers hacking group. A month later the hackers used that tool to perform their powerful ransomware attack. Hence, security professionals should design their software in such a manner so that technology remains securely isolated by not getting into wrong hands at any cost.
So, if you— like most people — weren’t affected by WannaCry, it’s time to take these lessons seriously.