WANNACRY – THE UK’S BIGGEST CYBER-ATTACK THIS YEAR

16/10/17

In May 2107, a huge cyber-attack led to around 57,000 infections in around 99 countries. This is the biggest cyber-attack of the year. It was a specific type of ransomware called WannaCry. It affected companied like FedEx and around 48 NSH trusts in the UK. Which is partly due to the reason why it was the biggest UK cyber-attack this year and maybe even in the UK history of cyber-attacks.

WannaCry asked for a ransom, however the UK government advised all companies to not pay up and eventually this strategy worked, companies got their data and systems back. However, the damage was still there and had to be fixed, causing problems for smaller companies.

In the UK, this year, 590 cyber-attacks were classed as significant by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). 30 were classed as ‘category 2’ which was serious enough to warrant a cross departmental response in government. Along with the WannaCry attack, another attack which took place is the Tesco bank hack, which saw £2.5million stolen from 9,000 customers was one of the category 2 attacks and had to have serious talks by the government.

WannaCry exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft which released a software that needed to be updated. However, many companies didn’t update their software and so the ransomware was able to hack into the systems and gain personal information, data and log into the IT systems.

Upcoming and new cyber-attacks on the horizon?

However, the UK needs to be aware of upcoming and new ways in which cyber-attacks can happen. It is thought that another big cyber-attack is soon to happen, which will be bigger than WannaCry’s. So, companies need to be aware that this may happen, and need to be prepared. Being prepared is essential, and there are many ways in which you can be ready.

Take a look at our other blogs to find out what you can do, or get in touch and we will be happy to assist.