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The Wanna Cry issue and how the DMS helps you against malware

Written by Ana Canteli on 18 may 2017

Last Friday 5th May 12, 2017 we witnessed a worldwide cyber attack, known as Wanna Cry / WannaCrypt / WanaCrypt0r 2.0 or Wanna Decryptor. This ransomware has been a global dilemma, affecting 150 countries and infecting more than 250,000 computers.

We have not evidence of any OpenKM user affected by this issue but cases like this should invite us to think about it. The fact of centralizing the company documentation in a centralized repository, with document management applications such as OpenKM has several advantages:

• It is always easier to secure a computer than a whole network. We don't mean that security policies should not extend to all the teams of a company; but the systems department will always find easier securing and controlling a server, than the rest of the companies computer's.
• A good backups policy allows to restore in a very short time, all the information minimizing the scope of the possible losses. A good practice is to regularly take backups out of the company; this simple protocol, allows us to preserve the data in case of theft, flood, fire or natural disasters.
• There are other less obvious advantages: such as standardizing access to information, auditing access to information, and many more; although for this case are less relevant.

Wanna Cry is a type of malware known as ransomware. The ransomware attacks targeted users in a number of countries across the globe, encrypting files or infecting computers, while demanding the payment of 300 USD in bitcoins to decrypt their files.

Fortunately, this malware only affects older versions of the Windows operating system. Windows 10 is not vulnerable. Neither are Mac OS or Linux systems. Unfortunately, many people work with older versions of Windows, but Microsoft has been very active in distributing patches for this target including the now-unsupported Windows XP.

Although the main objectives are organizational and business networks, such as Wanna Cry case, you can also contribute to stop its extension, doing the following:

• Apply any Microsoft Windows security patches that Microsoft has sent you. If you are using an older version of Microsoft’s operating systems, such as Windows XP or Windows 8.
• Be careful what you click on. This malware was distributed by phishing emails. You should only click on emails that you are sure came from a trusted source.
• Be sure to back up all your computing devices. Regularly backing up your devices helps you recover your information should your computer become infected with ransomware.
• Patches aside, security software can protect vulnerable computers too.
• You can learn more about WannaCry by clicking here.

While the current situation highlights the importance of software security for both personal and business users; this should not distract us from the fact that it is imperative to apply the operating system updates, at the right time. It is also very important to use supported versions of systems. It is true that Microsoft will create patches for the unsupported version of Windows XP, but also it is that this operating system should no longer be in use.

For users of DMS such as OpenKM, used by companies around the world to save critical business information, we would like to remind you of the need to apply back ups regularly, so that in the unlikely event of an infiltration, information can be quickly restored and normality restored.