Blog & Company News

May 15, 2017

NEWTEK TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS SECURITY ALERT: Unprecedented Cyber Attack, “WannaCry”, Impacting Out-of-Date Computer Systems, Hits 200,000 Victims Over the Weekend, with Further Escalation Expected

Overview:
  • What your organization needs to know right now
  • What your organization needs to do
  • How NewtekOne can help
On Friday, Hackers, who may have been using modified software that had been stolen from the National Security Agency, unleashed an unprecedented "Ransomeware" attack that has affected, so far, more than 200,000 computers across 150 countries. This number is expected to grow as workers return to the office on Monday and flip on their work stations. Ransomeware worms, which typically result in a computer being frozen and encrypted by a hacker until a ransom payment is made, is not a new strategy for hackers who are looking to generate income. The size of this exploit and attack, however, which has been dubbed "WannaCry", has never been seen before by security experts, causing chaos for hospital networks, government agencies, and private businesses around the globe. Like nearly all cyber attacks, the WannaCry worm is particularly effective on computers using out-of-date software – this includes computers using out-of-date or unsupported operating systems or other core software components that users depend on to perform their daily tasks. All organizations should be taking immediate steps to ensure their computers -- including business servers -- are updated with the latest software patches and fixes. Also, in cases when ransomware or other malicious cyber activity does occur, having a disaster recovery plan, including reliable and secure data backups, could mean the difference between surviving an attack and going out of business. Ultimately, a clear and actionable cyber security and disaster recovery plan should be in place or implemented immediately. If your organization is currently operating computer desktops and/or servers on your premises or within your own facility, we highly suggest you contact us for a no-cost consultation of your security and disaster recovery needs, including, but not limited to, secure solutions that will help your organization avoid costly fallout from cyber attacks. NewtekOne is heavily experienced working with organizations of all sizes, including those with existing IT staff and resources, which we can help augment with our expertise, implementation, system management, and monitoring. Note that the WannaCry worm affects the Microsoft Windows operating system. If you are operating out-of-date or old Microsoft machines, contact us right away for solutions. In summary, contact us for the following:
  • Updating or upgrading out-of-date workstations and servers
  • Ensuring you have secure and reliable backups of all data, and a disaster recovery plan
  • Keeping your business-critical and client data secure
*** If you are currently utilizing NewtekOne to host or manage applications, websites, or data in our data centers, we will be sending you further communications by email regarding the ongoing and current steps we have taken to keep your organization secure. *** You can reach our technology and security teams at: 1.877.323.4678, option 1 [email protected]