Lessons Learned from WannaCry Cyberattacks
June 2, 2020
Hopefully you weren’t one of the millions of people affected by this most recent massive cyberattack that targeted multiple industries, large and small. The WannaCry cyberattack was so effective because of a simple vulnerability that exists in systems that haven’t installed a recent security patch known to fix the problem. Simple patch management. It’s often overlooked, but it’s something that any organization with a sound security posture puts at the forefront of their business strategy in order to avoid these kinds of situations.
However, implementing sound patch management in today’s world of decentralized workforces, full of remote and third-party workers, along with the ability to receive and transmit corporate data on personal devices isn’t as simple as one may think.
Then there’s the people aspect. Do your employees know how to avoid being a target and ultimately a victim? Do they know what to do if they have been compromised? As we tell our clients and prospects:
- Over 50 percent of breaches are due to human error.
- Nearly one-third of attacks occur at organizations with less than 250 employees.
The middle-market is a prime target for hackers for a number of reasons. And it’s not just the financial and health care sectors at risk. This most recent hack affected multiple industries including technology and life sciences organizations, local governments and their contractors, retailers – you name it.
Assessing your current environment and taking steps to protect and insure it are paramount in this day and age. Do you know what your current state of readiness is – or how to evaluate it? Is your security training getting through to your employees? After all, they are often your first line of defense.
Feel free to reach out to the people in Cherry Bekaert’s Cybersecurity group. We’re here to help you. Whether you need help figuring out where to get started or you need to implement sustainable processes like patch management and security awareness training, we bring the expertise and tools that will give you peace of mind, knowing your people, your system, and your business are protected. We specialize in helping design a plan that is right for you and your budget.