Over a dozen years ago, malware pioneer Dr Peter Tippett coined the expression virus disaster, which describes the point at which more than 25 machines are infected on a single network as the tipping point for complete shutdown of a network. The new ransomware WannaCry, which locks down all files on an infected computer until […]

On 12th May, a mass ransomware attacked started hitting hospitals, telecom service providers, universities and other institutions worldwide, using the malware WannaCry, WanaCrypt0r 2.0. It is found to be perpetrated by exploiting a known flaw in Microsoft Windows SMB Server, MS17-010. Given the nature of its impact, all organisations should consider this as high risk […]

Healthcare is an industry under siege. This statement was true yesterday and was underscored by the massive ransomware attack. Care providers are targeted by cybercriminals with greater frequency than any other organisation. And thanks to old equipment and flagging security standards, these attacks find success far more often than they should. Security is no longer […]

This week’s attacks leveraging the WannaCry ransomware were the first time we have seen an attack combine worm tactics along with the business model of ransomware. The weaponisation of the EternalBlue exploit made public weeks ago, and unpatched MS-17-010 Windows OS vulnerabilities by the thousands enabled WannaCry to infect hundreds of thousands of computers, across […]

Riverbed Technology has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire Xirrus, the leading provider of next generation Wi-Fi networks. The acquisition of the privately-held company will expand Riverbed’s market leading SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) and cloud networking solution Riverbed SteelConnect with the integration of a robust and proven suite of advanced, high density […]

Kaspersky Lab has announced renewed Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack Platform, a solution to detect advanced threats and targeted attacks for enterprises. The solution blends advanced machine learning algorithms, actionable worldwide threat intelligence and adaptivity to customer infrastructure, to help large businesses uncover the most sophisticated and damaging attacks at any stage of their development. The […]

If one thing has the attention of IT decision makers worldwide, it is the risk of ransomware. We frequently see headlines on outages caused by ransomware and the reality is that this is a big problem for organisations of all shapes and sizes. Ransomware is not just a PC problem. It can be a data […]

For security professionals, Mirai has become a household name. It’s the now-infamous malware that hackers use to absorb hundreds of thousands of connected devices – from routers, to DVRs, IP cameras and other gadgets – into giant armies. Mirai was the malware that last year powered an attack on the domain name system provider Dyn. […]

Kaspersky Lab has launched a new partner programme in Africa, aimed at managed service providers (MSPs) that already offer security services or would like to add them to their current portfolio. The programme helps MSPs to address the growing demand for IT security services and enables them to attract new customers in the SMB markets, […]

The first high-profile DDoS attack using IoT devices that got the attention of the mainstream media happened around Christmas 2013 and was used to interrupt the launch of a prominent game. This attack came from the LizardStresser botnet, consisting primarily of webcams and CPE routers. In November 2016, the source code for the Mirai botnet […]