The Seattle Times reported that WannaCry is back, this time infecting a Boeing assembly plant in North Charleston. You may recall the WannaCry ransomware virus from its rampage in 2017, during which it vaporized data on servers around the globe. Initially, hospitals in the UK took the brunt of the attack, before it spread to more than 150 other countries.
This new attack affected production of Boeing’s flagship 777 jet. Even a company as large as Boeing—boasting a huge IT staff—scrambled to identify and contain the problem. After a period of confusion immediately following the discovery, Boeing reps finally put out a statement, and the news was somewhat reassuring.
How did it happen?
It appears that Boeing was able to contain the WannaCry ransomware virus, saying, “to the best of our knowledge . . . it did no significant damage.”
The malware takes advantage of a vulnerability in Windows. Microsoft has released a patch.
Lessons learned would include the necessity of constant vigilance. When we experience a lull in major attacks, complacency is a natural human response. (Of course, we weren’t experiencing a lull—earlier this week, the city of Atlanta experienced a complete shutdown of portions of their network, causing costly delays and inefficiencies.)
Cybersecurity prevention: Not “if”, but “when”
Worth noting, too, is that cyber-viruses are like biological ones—just when you think they have been wiped out, a new outbreak reminds you how tenacious they can be. (We’re looking at you, tuberculosis. Oh, and you, too, polio.)
We would also remind ourselves and our readers that there is no escape from attacks. There is only preparation and skilled response. If Boeing can take a hit, any company can.
Cyberattacks are a complex threat, because hackers can exploit a number of different kinds of weaknesses—from hardware, to software, to human. Every company has a unique risk profile, and deploying resources effectively requires an understanding of the risks to which your business is particularly vulnerable.
Avoid disasters like this one with DQ’s managed security services
We’re glad to learn that the Boeing team was on the case and managed to avoid serious harm. But if they hadn’t, the cyberattack could have cost the company millions in stolen assets and litigation fees. Managed security services can help secure your company against potential attacks through security assessments, next generation endpoint protection, security awareness training, managed firewalls, security governance, and more.
To learn more about DQ’s managed cybersecurity services that can help you avoid disasters like this one, click here.
More than 33 billion records will be stolen by cybercriminals by 2023, an increase of 175% from 2018.
The average cost of a data breach in the United States is $8.64 million, which is the highest in the world, while the most expensive sector for data breach costs is the healthcare industry, with an average of $7.13 million (IBM).
The internal team was energized. With the Level 1 work off its plate, the team turned its attention to the work that fueled company growth and gave them job satisfaction.
It takes an average of 287 days for security teams to identify and contain a data breach, according to the “Cost of a Data Breach 2021” report released by IBM and Ponemon Institute.
The cost of cybercrime is predicted to hit $10.5 trillion by 2025, according to the latest version of the Cisco/Cybersecurity Ventures “2022 Cybersecurity Almanac.”.
The three sectors with the biggest spending on cybersecurity are banking, manufacturing, and the central/federal government, accounting for 30% of overall spending (IDC).
Forty-three percent of attacks are aimed at SMBs, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves (Accenture).
40% of businesses will incorporate the anywhere operations model to accommodate the physical and digital experiences of both customers and employees (Techvera).
We did a proof of concept that met every requirement that our customer might have. In fact, we saw a substantial improvement.
We did everything that we needed to do, financially speaking. We got our invoices out to customers, we deposited checks, all the things we needed to do to keep our business running, and our customers had no idea about the tragedy. It didn’t impact them at all.
“We believe our success is due to the strength of our team, the breadth of our services, our flexibility in responding to clients, and our focus on strategic support.”