Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: BrianB6 on May 15, 2017, 03:47:55 am

Title: Ransomware
Post by: BrianB6 on May 15, 2017, 03:47:55 am
Has anyone's Computer been affected by the latest attack?
My laptop has been trying to update Windows for 3 hours, so far!  >>:-(
Everyone must be trying to do it. :((
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: derekwarner on May 15, 2017, 04:02:03 am
Hi BrianB6.......

Latest ABC news this morning suggested that the majority of affected users in the UK, were mainframe groups where older operating structures [Microsoft XP] were the host systems.......

There are a few systems with the $glitch being reported in Sydney as I type......again only mainframe systems

Derek 
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: tigertiger on May 15, 2017, 04:37:14 am
The issue was reported as the exploitation of a security hole in Windows systems. Microsoft was notified a while ago, and the hole was covered in subsequent updates from Microsoft. However, MS stopped supporting XP and earlier systems a few years ago. Older systems were vulnerable. Many of these are still used in public institutions like hospitals. Although, this piece of ransom-ware was deactivated, the 'accidental hero' said that it could easily be reactivated by the code monkey that wrote it.

The original hole was discovered by the NSA which does this kind of thing. According to the news these holes are explored for offensive and defensive use by government agencies (no surprises there, post Snowden). Governments want software houses to leave back doors in software products, so that people can be watched. The lesson of this weekend is that the arguement, 'if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear', is an empty one.
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: BrianB6 on May 15, 2017, 04:44:50 am
4 1/2 hours to download.  >>:-(
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: malcolmfrary on May 15, 2017, 08:38:16 am
4 1/2 hours to download.  >>:-(
Do you have a back-up of your system and file disks?  Not a Microsoft one, a proper one.
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: roycv on May 15, 2017, 09:17:22 am
Hi all, I run with a 0.5 Tb disc always connected as back-up. The disc had been in use as back-up on a Mac laptop, it was then re-formatted for use on Windows.  Not been affected, I asssume it may be because I have a new Windows 10 laptop?
regards Roy

Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: BrianB6 on May 15, 2017, 10:16:38 am
Roy
Probably not a good thing to have it always connected.
If the PC is infected the backup probably will be as well!
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: Bob K on May 15, 2017, 10:31:27 am
I too have a permanently mounted dedicated backup drive, but around once a month I do a manual backup on a removable high capacity memory sticks so the worst I could loose is anything created or modified in the last month.  I have Windows 10 (hate it, but keeps itself up to date) and Norton's 360.

However, no system can ever be 100%
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: Martin (Admin) on May 15, 2017, 12:02:18 pm
 
Mayhem Forum now updated for latest security patches.   :police:
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: Martin (Admin) on May 15, 2017, 12:19:27 pm
 
Quote

'I always have an external HDD always connected as back-up.'
 

I do too, not a great idea but I check it regularly.... and have non permanently connected backup drives!   :-))
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: roycv on May 15, 2017, 03:13:30 pm
Hi Brian, I have disconnected!
Roy
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: Martin (Admin) on May 15, 2017, 08:33:08 pm

Mayhem Forum now updated for latest security patches.   :police:

Well that patch locked me  out of the forum, only just got back in !

 Damn Stupid computers....
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: steamboat66 on May 15, 2017, 10:04:23 pm
same here martin.
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: meechingman on May 15, 2017, 10:57:19 pm
Full back up to external drive done yesterday - weekly, as usual. As only new and updated files are actually written to the external drive, it took around 20 minutes. The drive is then unplugged.


If the worst came to the worst, I'd be up and running again in an hour or so with just a week's data lost.


I have a dual boot XP/Win 7 system (most of my music apps are very happy on XP and some won't work on anything later) but the XP part doesn't know how to access the router, just to make sure!


My son, who is a senior IT man, tells me that there are ways to prevent ransomware from running even you if you inadvertently download it onto your system. He did tell me but it went way over my head, and I'm no PC dummy. I'll get him to do it for me.


Get good Security Software, keep it bang up to date, scan regularly and do those backups!
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: malcolmfrary on May 16, 2017, 08:35:04 am
During the close-down time of XP a while back, one fiddle to extend its coverage was to fool your system into thinking it was an ATM.  It seems that worldwide, the most common system for ATMs to run was a variant of XP.  Support for that was supposed to continue until 2019 if I remember right. 
Anyway, called by my bank yesterday to raid the hole in the wall, there was a sign saying that HSBCs ATMs were being replaced, please go elsewhere.  Don't know if it's anything to do with the weekends happenings.
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: grendel on May 16, 2017, 12:44:41 pm
I was told yesterday that ASDA had been hit too, I know that none of the self serve tills were taking cash
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: Netleyned on May 16, 2017, 12:50:04 pm
If Asda was hit, surely cash would work but not card
transactions.


Ned
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: roycv on May 16, 2017, 01:57:25 pm
Hi all I gather this one is called Wannacrypt.  Hope it gets dead and buried asap.
Roy
Title: Re: Ransomware
Post by: tigertiger on May 16, 2017, 02:02:26 pm
If ASDA was hit?
It depends, if the checkout/EPOS system was taken down, how could they process the transaction? In the old days, every item of stock was labelled with a price. Or prices were memorised, Kwik Save staff had to learn all the prices. Until more recently Aldi and Lidl were still manual, but now everything relies on bar codes and the computer system. The prices are on the shelf labels, and in the computer, but not on the item for sale. As such they could not even pull out a calculator and work out your bill. Even if they could, they would not. Because there is no longer any manual stock and order system. If they don't know what they have sold, how can they replenish stock?
In addition to this, so many traders are not using cash as much, and so the cash office in most stores could not handle the volumes of cash that they used to. Neither could companies like Securicor, that used to do all the cash collections/deliveries, switch back to how they worked before debit cards. Turnover in an out of town store is probably in the region of a million pounds per week, and that is a shed load of cash to handle. I can feel a new wave of scalawagary coming on.