Planet Ransomware

If you were expecting a quiet Friday in terms of cyberattacks, this ain’t it. There are reports of a massive ransomware attack affecting computers on a global scale: in the...
1 min read
Last updated January 17, 2023

If you were expecting a quiet Friday in terms of cyberattacks, this ain’t it. There are reports of a massive ransomware attack affecting computers on a global scale: in the UK, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, and Taiwan.

The ransomware variant that’s doing the damage is called WCry, also known as WannaCry or WanaCrypt0r. It has so far claimed some high-profile targets, including NHS hospitals in the UK, and telecom and banking companies in Spain.

Be calm and carry on, of course.

In the blog, we’ve been writing about ransomware over the last two years, and we have great educational resources to help you prevent or reduce the damage of an attack.

Here’s a quick overview of our content.

What is it?

Our ransomware guide: https://www.varonis.com/blog/the-complete-ransomware-guide/ 

Learning more

Free courses: https://www.varonis.com/free-security-courses 

How it spreads

Yes, it can have worm-like features: https://www.varonis.com/blog/next-gen-ransomware-ransomworm-gets-deadlier/

Can I make my own (for research purposes)?

Yes, but only under adult supervision:

https://www.varonis.com/blog/malware-coding-lessons-for-it-people-part-ii-more-fun-with-fud-ransomware/

https://www.varonis.com/blog/malware-coding-lessons-people-part-learning-write-custom-fud-fully-undetected-malware/

Reducing the risk

Limiting file access really, really helps: https://www.varonis.com/blog/the-best-ransomware-defense-dont-have-files/

Legal and Regulatory Implications

For US companies, this is what you need to know: https://www.varonis.com/blog/ransomware-the-legal-cheat-sheet-for-breach-notification/

Should you pay?

It depends:

https://www.varonis.com/blog/should-the-website-that-infected-a-pc-with-ransomware-pay/

https://www.varonis.com/blog/hospital-paid-ransom-didnt-get-all-files-back/

Is a decryption solution available?

Check here:https://www.varonis.com/use-case/ransomware-prevention 

The ultimate answer to ransomware

User Behavior Analytics (UBA): https://www.varonis.com/blog/why-uba-will-catch-the-zero-day-ransomware-attacks-that-endpoint-protection-cant/

 

 

 

What should I do now?

Below are three ways you can continue your journey to reduce data risk at your company:

1

Schedule a demo with us to see Varonis in action. We'll personalize the session to your org's data security needs and answer any questions.

2

See a sample of our Data Risk Assessment and learn the risks that could be lingering in your environment. Varonis' DRA is completely free and offers a clear path to automated remediation.

3

Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X (Twitter) for bite-sized insights on all things data security, including DSPM, threat detection, AI security, and more.

Try Varonis free.

Get a detailed data risk report based on your company’s data.
Deploys in minutes.

Keep reading

Varonis tackles hundreds of use cases, making it the ultimate platform to stop data breaches and ensure compliance.

varonis-incident-response:-preventing-pii-exposure-in-box 
Varonis Incident Response: Preventing PII Exposure in Box 
Learn how the Varonis Incident Response team prevented PII from being compromised, and what this means for data in cloud collaboration platforms like Box.
how-to-prepare-for-major-shift-in-chatgpt-enterprise-data-access
How to Prepare for Major Shift in ChatGPT Enterprise Data Access
ChatGPT Enterprise is changing in the way it retrieves data and surfaces information to users in prompt responses. Learn about the new connectors and risks.
varonis-announces-strategic-partnership-with-microsoft-to-help-secure-the-future-of-ai
Varonis Announces Strategic Partnership with Microsoft to Help Secure the Future of AI
The companies have formed a strategic product partnership to deliver scalable data security, governance, and compliance for the AI era
hidden-risks-of-shadow-ai
Hidden Risks of Shadow AI
Shadow AI is on the rise as employees adopt unsanctioned AI tools. Learn the risks it poses to security and compliance, and how to manage it responsibly.