This is breaking news. Over the last 24 hours or so, a massive ransomware attack hit 99 countries. Many believe the hackers used NSA (National Security Agency) technology tools to pull this off. It’s the global cyber attack: United Kingdom hit hardest.
So how hard did the United Kingdom get it? Just ask the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Scotland. Because over 40 of their hospitals fell to this attack. One man couldn’t even have his critical heart surgery. ?But this was a slow, painful ransomware. British doctors’ computers went down one by one. Then there is a group WannaCry, demanding $300 in Bitcoin. The UK got the worst of it, but they weren’t the only ones. Russia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and the United States all reported hacked systems. So did China.
Do you want to know something really ironic? This happened when world leaders fight the global cyber attack epidemic. President Trump signed an anti-hacking bill. ?In Italy, financial leaders met to talk about how cyber crime could cripple financial centers. But how did this start? A worm spread itself between computers. Then, it took off. Experts believe the anti-Trump cyber group The Shadow Brokers stole NSA technology. Also, here’s an ironic thing. Systems still using Windows XP and even Windows Server 2003 were hit hard.
And guess what system NHS uses. That’s right, Windows XP. Keep in mind Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP back in 2014. Let this be a lesson to all of us in IT service. If Microsoft stops supporting it, stop using it! End of discussion! How else can we stop, or prevent this global cyber attack? They urge you to patch up your system, sooner than later. Also, computer repair companies like us fought these viruses for over 20 years. Don’t hesitate to give us a call. But back to another question. Why are major businesses and health organizations still using Windows XP?