Ransomware continues to be an active, evolving threat and one of the newest strains to emerge is Snake (also known as EKANS, which is simply “Snake” spelled backward). First appearing at the end of December last year, the most interesting feature of Snake is that it targets industrial control systems (ICS) environments – not the individual machines, but the entire network. Designed to terminate specific processes on victim machines, including multiple items related to ICS operations, it also deletes Volume Shadow Copies to eliminate Window backups.  While there is currently no decryption available, systems running Acronis Active Protection – the AI-based anti-malware defense that is integrated into our cyber protection solutions – successfully detects Snake ransomware as a zero-day attack and stops it in its tracks.

What type of cyber-attack was used?   How ransomware attacks health care providers and other industries   For many, ransomware became known, when WannaCry tore across the globe, infecting a quarter million machines in more than 150 countries in 2017. The largest ransomware attack ever, it affected a diverse collection of entities, including the NHS, Spain-based Telefonica, America’s FedEx, German railway company Deutsche Bahn, and LATAM Airlines.

The news about the coronavirus pandemic gets a little more frightening with each passing day. The death toll in China has risen to the hundreds and a growing number of countries are closing their borders to travelers from at-risk areas. There’s suddenly a global shortage of surgical masks. And as with almost every worldwide news event these days – whether it’s as trivial as the finale of a popular TV show or as dire as a steadily-spreading, potentially-lethal pathogen – the scammers have come out to take advantage of the situation and your fear. In the case of the coronavirus, we’re already seeing phishing emails that claim to have information on how to protect yourself from the disease, but in fact contain malware-bearing web links or attachments.

The healthcare industry is in the middle of a digital transformation: a necessary pivot from the antiquated methods of creating, storing, and sharing information to new data-intensive diagnostic and treatment applications. For healthcare IT professionals, the pressure to accelerate this transition is coming from all sides. To respond to these challenges, protect patients, and stay at the forefront of the industry, healthcare IT professionals need cyber protection to ensure their organization is #CyberFit. Here is a quick overview of how cyber protection can solve seven of the most prevalent IT challenges your healthcare organization may face.