WannaCry is the ransomware that knocked the world for six, and infected global companies like the NHS, Telefónica, and FedEx. More recently, Australian speed cameras have been compromised.
The WannaCry malware infects Windows PCs, locks them up and demands a ransom fee.
Victoria Police confirmed the malware infected 55 red light cameras and speed cameras in the state of Victoria, where a private operator, Redflex, operates the cameras.
The police insist the integrity of the camera system has not been compromised, as the virus has been detected and dealt with. They will look into all the incidents detected by the speed cameras during the infected time and deal with each case individually.
Mark James, ESET IT Security Specialist, discusses how and why WannaCry is still circulating and the best ways to keep your systems protected.
“One of the biggest problems with opportunistic malware is that it has no boundaries.
“It will infect anything that meets the criteria, when that criteria is a vulnerability in an Operating System that had (and still has) such a massive uptake, then realistically it may be a case of not if, but when, will you be next.
“Current estimates still put Windows 7 on almost 50% of all desktop Operating Systems so it’s not surprising to still see machines being infected.
“Then you need to understand how many older bespoke systems that are using embedded software to do a task, updating these systems may not be financially viable especially if the task they perform is still being done perfectly.
“In a time when funds are restricted to necessity or priority, persuading someone they need to invest thousands to stop something that may or may not happen will be a difficult job.
“Protecting against WannaCry in most cases can be done by blocking TCP port 445, ensuring your Operating System is patched and fully updated and ensure you have a good regularly updating multi-layered internet security product installed.”
Are you still using Windows 7 or older? Let us know on Twitter @ESETUK.
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