Cybersecurity matters. As I type, the world is facing another major ransomware attack. This has been dubbed NotPetya — because it’s like one called Petya, but not identical. As usual, it targets Windows machines. Still, a possible “vaccine” has been found in the last hour. So this is just a very quick post to help publicise that ASAP.
The vaccine, from top security site BleepingComputer, involves creating a read-only file in your C:\Windows directory. That’s easier said than done, as Windows protects that folder. So the following batch file can do it for you:
https://download.bleepingcomputer.com/bats/nopetyavac.bat
Alternatively, this post explains how to apply the fix manually. Huge thanks to WordFence for highlighting this in their excellent post here.
Ransomware Updates
March 2018: Ransomware isn’t always in the news, but the threat hasn’t gone away. So check out another great post from PixelPrivacy for more ways to protect yourself from ransomware.
April 2019: So, almost two years on, is ransomware declining? Not really. As this year’s review of ransomware facts from SafetyDetective shows, small businesses must still be vigilant. Ransomware attacks are especially common in the retail and healthcare industries. GDPR has also made investing in cybersecurity more vital than ever.
May 2019: As Cloudwards points out, malware can also infect local backups. So whilst local backups can be convenient, they aren’t enough. It’s important to keep vital files backed up remotely using a cloud backup service, too.
Ignoring Cybersecurity Can Be Costly
It’s easy to underestimate the value of decent cybersecurity. After all, it’s invisible when it’s working. Still, complacency can easily cost small businesses thousands.
When hackers hit websites, they don’t just want to lock them down, deface them or steal stuff. They use hacked sites to install malware and ransomware on visitors’ computers. You wouldn’t want to risk doing that to your customers, would you? Or for visitors with decent antivirus systems to see warnings that your site was dangerous?
So avoiding that expense is a huge, if hidden, return on investment. Cybersecurity is one area of modern business in which prevention is far better than the cure. For SME’s with a website, that’s a good reason to use web hosting with an emphasis on security.