Sophisticated International Cyber Attack Hits 150 Countries

Analysts are calling the global “ransomware” attack one of the biggest online extortion attacks in modern history. It has been reported that at least 100,000 different organizations have been compromised, at an international level. Companies, factories, government agencies are scrambling this morning to ensure that all necessary cyber security is in place. This points out the level at which the need and demand network security and data protection is; an all time high.

Leaders Scrambling

The threat initially hit on Friday, leading President Trump to call an emergency meeting with Homeland Security Officer, Tom Bossert, to assess the threat of cyberattack. Head of Europol European Cybercrime Centre, Steven Wilson, spoke about the necessity of IT departments to check systems this morning to ensure nothing had been compromised over the weekend. Here’s what he had to say about the attack.

“It’s not a massively sophisticated attack. What is new is the use of a worm to propagate through systems. It is beyond anything we have ever seen before.”

Health systems and hospitals in the U.K. were hit hard, experiencing significant problems. 48 National Health Service Trusts were hit in England, and 13 Scottish health boards. Robert Wainwright, director of the Netherlands-based Europol spoke about how 200,000 individuals have been affected by the attack, many of which come from large corporations and businesses.

Indiscriminate & Fast

Wainwright also talked about the fact that though the ransomware used wasn’t necessarily unique, the attack was indiscriminate and fast, because the ransomware was used in combination with a worm. What does that mean? Essentially, if just one computer was affected, it could spread it violently through the entire network. Network security experts have spoken up, very clearly, to say that this level of cyber attack should “wake up every corporate board room and legislative chamber around the globe.”

Is Your IT Department Prepared?

How up to speed is your IT department? Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place? How trustworthy are you of your network security? Now, more than ever before, it is extremely important you choose a provider of network security and IT services that protect your data and information. For more information on network security, data recovery, IT support, or cloud computing services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.