Darknet Diaries
73: WannaCry
Sep 1, 2020
In this engaging discussion, Matt Suiche, founder of Comae Technology and an expert in incident response, dives deep into the infamous WannaCry ransomware attack of May 2017. He shares firsthand accounts from the UK’s NHS, revealing the chaos as medical staff scrambled to maintain patient care without their usual tech aids. Unpacking the attack's global disruption, Matt highlights the cybersecurity community's rapid response and the pivotal discovery of a 'kill switch' that halted the ransomware, tying it to larger threats from North Korea's notorious Lazarus Group.
44:51
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Quick takeaways
- The WanaCry ransomware attack in 2017 highlighted the vulnerability of healthcare systems to cyber attacks and the need for strong cybersecurity measures.
- The use of the EternalBlue exploit in the WanaCry attack emphasized the importance of regular patching and updates to protect systems from known vulnerabilities.
Deep dives
The WanaCry Ransomware Attack on UK Hospitals
In May 2017, the UK National Health Service (NHS) was hit by a massive ransomware attack known as WanaCry. The attack affected numerous hospitals, encrypting their files and demanding a Bitcoin ransom for decryption. The attack quickly spread across the country, causing chaos in the healthcare system. Emergency procedures had to be adjusted, with paper registration and manual delivery of blood test results becoming necessary due to compromised computer systems. The attack highlighted the need for strong cybersecurity measures in the healthcare sector and the reliance on old-fashioned medical techniques in the face of technological failures.
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