Ransomware Attack Affects Computers Worldwide

Computer networks across the globe again fell victim to a strain of ransomware on June 27, taking numerous organizations and infrastructure offline, with Ukrainian government agencies and private firms especially hard hit.

Much as the WannaCry ransomware briefly paralyzed businesses in May, this next wave of attacks locked up computers at Merck Pharmaceuticals; Maersk, a Danish shipping firm; DLA Piper, a global law firm; Rosneft, a Russian energy company; Kiev’s airport, numerous Russian and Ukrainian banks, and even the radiation monitoring systems at Chernobyl. The nuclear plant announced in a statement that monitoring systems are temporarily being run manually. The attack hit computers in Russia, Europe, the UK, and the US, and continues to unfold.

Read more at https://www.advisenltd.com/2017/06/28/ransomware-attack-affects-computers-worldwide/

Erin Ayers, Ransomware attack affects computers worldwide (June 28, 2017), available with subscription at Advisen Cyber Front Page News.

WannaCry Provides Latest Glimpse at Nightmare Cyber Aggregation Potential

CHICAGO—The WannaCry ransomware attack will likely be a manageable loss event for the insurance industry, but the event offers a new perspective on potential aggregation.

Though the worm known as WannaCry spread rapidly to about 150 countries starting May 12, the number of network computers infected and held for ransom is actually a small percentage of all possible global endpoints, according to Pascal Millaire, vice president and general manager at Symantec.

Millaire gave an impromptu presentation on WannaCry during lunch at Advisen’s Cyber Risk Insights Conference here.

“This may not be as bad as one might have thought,” he said. “This is a relatively good-news story.”

Read more at http://www.advisenltd.com/2017/05/18/wannacry-provides-latest-glimpse-nightmare-cyber-aggregation-potential/

Chad Hemenway, WannaCry provides latest glimpse at nightmare cyber aggregation potential (May 18, 2017), available with subscription at Advisen Cyber Front Page News.

With Targets on Their Backs, Healthcare CISOs Fight to Protect Data

Healthcare chief information security officers (CISOs) know their organizations offer an appealing target for cybercriminals – and they’re doing everything they can to avoid being the next victims, according to a panel speaking during Advisen’s Cyber Risk Insights Conference here.

Panelists described the many moving parts to their organizations, with hundreds of healthcare professionals requiring access to sensitive information, cross-border compliance issues, legacy IT systems and medical devices, and vast networks of third-party partners.

“It’s really hard to go to a doctor who’s an expert in his field and say he needs to get rid of his X-ray machine that runs on Windows XP or Windows 98 when he says that’s the system that gives him the image he needs to save the patient,” said Robert Hill, CISO of the Mayo Clinic.”

Read more at http://www.advisenltd.com/2017/05/17/targets-backs-healthcare-cisos-fight-protect-data/

Erin Ayers, With targets on their backs, healthcare CISOs fight to protect data (May 17, 2017), available with subscription at Advisen Professional Front Page News.