A Year Without Security Patches: Reflections on the 2017 Cyberattacks
In today's landscape of security breaches and cyberattacks, it seems like no company or network is completely immune to cybercrime. In fact, you don’t have to search very hard in the news to read about another cyberattack that has happened to a big corporation. Thankfully, developers are constantly looking out for these threats and building important security patches and updates protect the data. Let's look at some of the major vulnerabilities and attacks that have happened in 2017.
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010 (March 14, 2017)
Although this wasn't exactly a hack, it serves as a great reminder of how scary security vulnerabilities in Microsoft
Windows software can be. The bulletin detailed several cyber security threats, but the most severe vulnerability was the potential for an attacker to execute code on the target server. This vulnerability was so huge that Microsoft called the security patches “critical for all supported releases of Microsoft Windows.”
Imagine the impact this could have had if the cyber threat was not discovered and a security patch was not created.
The biggest impact of this bulletin was that it showed how many zero-day level flaws were present in Microsoft products that made users vulnerable to cyberattacks. Essentially, the combination of the delayed rollout of crucial security patches and enterprises’ often slow adoption of patches made all Microsoft users vulnerable to the WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware attacks.
WannaCry Ransomware Attack (May 12, 2017)
The WannaCry Ransomware attack was one of the most significant cyberattacks in 2017. Seventy-five thousand organizations from 99 countries reported being attacked. How did it happen?
A vulnerability called EternalBlue was responsible for spreading the WannaCry attack. This vulnerability was actually addressed in Microsoft’s security patches released in March. Unfortunately, many users had not yet installed these critical patches.
Impact of WannaCry
As the name implies, many Microsoft users probably did want to cry after being hit by this cyberattack. It created a moment where global internet security reached a state of emergency. WannaCry affected the U.K., Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan, and even some Chinese and U.S. entities. In many cases, companies were forced to pay $300+ to regain access to their files/system. However, there was another even more severe impact, as sixteen National Health Service organizations were locked out of their systems. Many doctors were unable to pull up patient files and emergency rooms were forced to divert people seeking urgent care.
Petrwrap/Petwrap/NotPetya Ransomware Attack (June 27, 2017)
This attack was even worse than the WannaCry attack. NotPetya did not act like other ransomware malware. Instead, it rebooted victims’ computers and encrypted their hard drive’s master file table, which rendered the master boot record inoperable. Those who were infected lost full access to their system. Additionally, the cyberattack seized information about the file names, size, and location on the physical disk. NotPetya spread because it used the EternalBlue vulnerability, just like WannaCry.
Impact of NotPetya
NotPetya reportedly infected 300,000 systems and servers throughout the world, including some in Russia, Denmark, France, the U.K., the U.S., and Ukraine. Ukraine was hit the hardest. Within just a few hours of the infection starting, the country’s government, top energy companies, private and state banks, the main airport, and metro system all reported hits on their systems.
How to Protect Your Business From Cyberattacks
The evidence is clear. Hackers are always on the prowl and cyberattacks will happen. The key is to be ready for them so you can prevent an attack from being successful. You must take every step possible to protect your company and your private information. There are several important things you can do, including making sure you always install security patches and updates. For example, if infected organizations had installed the update patches in March, they would have been protected from the WannaCry attack. Therefore, this simple step could be the difference in whether or not a cybercriminal is able to successfully hack into your data.
Think Prevention, Not Cure
While installing every patch developers make might seem like a hassle, the fact is these patches play a significant role in your cybersecurity efforts. There is great wisdom in the saying of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” when you’re dealing with cybersecurity. It’s so much easier to take the necessary steps to prevent a cyberhack than it is to overcome all the problems after a breach occurs. Regularly installing security patches is a must, especially since you might not be aware of the possible threats that could be coming.
Let SolarWinds Patch Manager Do the Work for You
Although constantly installing these updates and patches can be a pain, and it can feel like you get a new patch almost every other day, patches are a necessary evil. Thanks to the SolarWinds Patch Manager software, you can now leave this tedious chore to someone else. This intuitive patch management software allows you to quickly address software vulnerabilities in your system. SolarWinds Patch Manager offers several key features, including:
- Simplified patch management. Automate the patching and reporting process and save time by simplifying patch management on servers and workstations.
- Extend the capabilities of WSUS patch management. Decrease service interruptions and lower your security risks by helping ensure patches are applied and controlling what gets patched and when.
- Extend the use of Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. Protect your servers, desktops, laptops, and Virtual Machines (VMs) with the most current patches for third-party apps.
- Demonstrate Patch Compliance. Stay up to date on all vulnerabilities and create summary reports to show patching status.
Additionally, SolarWinds Patch Manager offers a Patch Status Dashboard. The dashboard tracks who got patched and what still needs to be patched. You will be able to see the most recent available patches, the top patches you are still missing, and the overall general health of your cyber environment. Patch Manager also allows you to build your own packages for many other types of files, including .EXE, .MSI, or .MSL.
Download SolarWinds Patch Manager now to identify the vulnerabilities in your system and help protect your business.