PC Matic Customers Protected Against 2017 Global Attacks
PC Matic is pleased to report that not a single one of PC Matic, PC Matic Pro or PC Matic MSP customers were impacted by the two global cyber attacks, WannaCry and NotPetya.
WannaCry was the first global ransomware attack. The ransomware effectively infected approximately 250,000 endpoints in over 20 different countries. The attack was initiated in mid-May, and surprisingly, continued to infect devices up to six weeks later.
WannaCry was able to infiltrate endpoint systems through a vulnerability within the Windows operating system, called EternalBlue. However, if one wants to look at the silver lining, this attack brought a massive amount of media attention to cyber threats; meaning significant growth in cyber security awareness.
NotPetya, the cyber weapon used for complete destruction, hit in June. The attack initially began in Ukraine, but quickly spread throughout the globe. Unlike traditional ransomware variants, NotPetya targeted not only hard disk files, but also master boot record files. The cyber weapon destroyed the master boot record files beyond repair. Although, cyber criminals were still demanding ransom payments to decrypt hard disk files.
With the growing cyber threats, it is imperative that users – both home and business – understand the importance of being proactive when protecting their data and devices. Being reactive to either of the above global attacks is not an option. When devices and/or files are completely locked, victims are left with few remediation options. The importance of ensuring device operating systems are up-to-date, and implementing a security solution that uses application whitelisting is critical.
