Ransomware has once again reared its dangerous head, but this time the malware brings with it a wake-up call to defend one’s data and adopt better e-mail practices. What has recently been making headlines and no doubt dispelling the smiles at more than a few businesses is the aptly named WannaCry, the latest variant of ransomware to emerge from the malware threat swamp. WannaCry isn’t the first ransomware attack, nor will it be the last; but it has certainly been one of the largest, highlighting for some their lack of awareness of how severe these kinds of attacks can be, as well as how quickly they can occur, particularly on computers running outdated operating systems. This particular exploit gained notoriety because of its scale – it affected around 200,000 systems in under a week. What ransomware is At its most insidious, ransomware can lock users out of their PCs, and even worse, encrypt their data so that they can’t get access to it. The attacker then puts a timer on the encry...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.