Ransomware attacks continue to spread around the world this weekend, after the initial damage inflicted on healthcare organizations in Europe on Friday.

The criminals responsible for exploiting the Eternal Blue flaw haven’t yet been identified, but up to 100 countries have hit with WannaCry ransomware, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan among the top targets.

The ransomware first appeared in March, and is using the NSA 0-day Eternal Blue and Double Pulsar exploits first made available earlier this year by a group called the Shadow Brokers.  The initial spread of the malware was through email, including fake invoices, job offers and other lures with a .zip file that initiates the WannaCry infection.  The worm-like Eternal Blue can exploit a flaw in the Server Message Block (SMB) in Microsoft Windows, which can allow remote code execution.  This flaw was patched in Microsoft’s March 2017 update cycle, but many organizations had not run the patch or were using unsupported legacy technology like XP.

What’s New

Today, Microsoft has released emergency security patches to defend against the malware for unsupported versions of Windows, including XP and Server 2003.

Overnight and today, it has become clear that a  kill switch was included in the code.  When it detects a specific web domain exists—created earlier today—it halts the spread of malware.  You can learn more at The Register.

As a Webroot customer, are you protected?  YES.

Webroot SecureAnywhere  does currently protect you from WannaCry ransomware.

In simple terms, although this ransomware is currently causing havoc across the globe, the ransomware itself is similar to what we have seen before.  It’s the advanced delivery mechanism that has unfortunately caught many organizations off guard.

In addition to deploying Webroot SecureAnywhere as part of a strong endpoint protection strategy, it is essential you continue to keep your systems up-to-date on the latest software versions, and invest in user education on the dangers of phishing, ransomware, social engineering and other common attack vectors.

If you have any questions about your Webroot deployment, reach out to our Support Team now.

And, if you are not a Webroot customer, we encourage you to trial Webroot SecureAnywhere now.

Blog Staff

About the Author

Blog Staff

The Webroot blog offers expert insights and analysis into the latest cybersecurity trends. Whether you’re a home or business user, we’re dedicated to giving you the awareness and knowledge needed to stay ahead of today’s cyber threats.

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