Third Global Ransomware Attack of 2017
First, there was WannaCry, which hit the globe in mid-May. Second, came NotPetya in June. Third, was the latest global ransomware attack, Bad Rabbit. This ransomware variant is believed to originate in Russia. However, it quickly spread throughout Ukraine, targeting various transportation systems. Avast also reported infections in Poland, South Korea, and the United States. Another security solution, ESET, stated they have seen infections in Japan and Bulgaria.
Bad Rabbit is a malicious executable that was included in a fraudulent Adobe Flash Player update. Upon installing this fake update, files were being encrypted. The exact ransom demands have not been released. Although, cyber security experts have encouraged victims not to pay the ransom. Any infected users are encouraged to notify officials of the infection, and restore systems through backup files. Paying the ransom demand will only encourage attacks such as these. Also, there is no guarantee victims will get their files back after paying the ransom. Lastly, paying the ransom makes the victim a target of future attacks.
Preventing Against These Attacks
To avoid falling victim of these ransomware attacks, it is encouraged users implement a security solution that uses application whitelist technology, or a default deny approach. This methodology effectively and efficiently blocks all malicious executables, because the whitelist only allows trusted applications to run. With the use of a whitelist all unknown files, which most security solutions allow to run because of the blacklist methodology, are blocked from executing until proven safe.
PC Matic is able to confirm, no Bad Rabbit infections have infiltrated endpoints using PC Matic, PC Matic Pro or PC Matic MSP. All three variations of PC Matic are able to effectively block ransomware attacks, such as these, because of the application whitelist technology implemented at the core of PC Matic. PC Matic Pro is available for non-profits, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses of all sizes. PC Matic MSP is available for all managed service providers, and PC Matic is available for home users.
**If you are a PC Matic subscriber, and need assistance with the program, you may reach out support team at www.pcmatic.com/help.
