Ransomware

Organisations today know that they need to have a cybersecurity strategy in place to protect their intellectual property (IP) and sensitive data from getting into the hands of cybercriminals.

Adversaries are constantly evolving. Success breeds copy-cats. And security is multifaceted. These are some of the key lessons Jeremy Cowan takes away from talking to Ted Harrington, executive partner, Independent Security Evaluators.

The recent ‘WannaCry’ ransomware virus attack was heralded as the wake-up call for businesses concerned about their cyber security. A recent survey of 250 UK insurance broking firms, however, shows that following the attack there has surprisingly been little increase at all in the number of enquiries for cyber insurance cover.

The health sector is the most vulnerable, most targeted, and resoundingly least equipped to defend against hackers who are pummeling healthcare organisations with ransomware attacks. So says James Scott, senior Fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT).

The WannaCry ransomware attack this week shocked the world, and the ripples will be felt for months to come. It demonstrates that cyber criminals are stepping up their campaigns and one sector increasingly at risk is autonomous vehicles.

Have you noticed something about the companies that lecture us about the need for speed, innovation and agility? They’re always the ones that move with all the pace and grace of Laurel and Hardy shifting a piano up a long staircase.

Threats to transportation Craig Smith, Transportation research lead, Rapid7 We will see malware used to shut-down a major transportation sector. I anticipate that the malware will be intentionally targeted to halt a transportation sector either for the purpose of ransomware, or political gain.

How big a threat to the IoT is ransomware? IoT is becoming a very large target because there is so much opportunity. Ransomware is just one way to monetise exploited vulnerabilities. Exactly how big a threat ransomware specifically is, depends on the device and the intended use.