A cyber-security body has urged Scottish companies to update their IT systems in the wake of Friday’s ransomware attack.
The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) said the WannaCry attack took hold because routine software updates were ignored or put off.
The security breach disrupted GP surgeries, dental practices and other primary care centres.
SBRC said the attack was a “wake-up call” for businesses of all sizes.
It has recommended a number of preventative measures it says all firms should follow.
The centre is funded by a range of private and public partners, including the police, Scottish government, major banks and private investors.
Image copyrightREUTERSSBRC recommendations include:
• Check that all Microsoft updates have been applied. If your IT is managed by external specialists, be sure to ask these questions as soon as possible.
• Microsoft issued a patch to close the vulnerability that allows this virus to spread in mid-March. This update is called Microsoft Bulletin MS17-010.
• All machines running Windows operating systems that have not had the security patch issued in March are vulnerable.
• Make sure any anti-virus software that is being run is kept up-to-date and regular scans are being run on your system.
• If you have an IT supplier, check they are conducting regular backups of all your systems and that these are not connected to your network.
• Check if your network uses the SMBv1 protocol, which helps computers share files and documents across a network. This protocol is outdated and newer versions are available.
SBRC’s chief ethical hacker, Gerry Grant, said: “Thousands of computers were infected with the ransomware – and it was able to have such an impact because routine preventative measures had not been taken.
“We can’t recommend the practice of habitually updating systems enough, however disruptive or inconvenient at the time – as soon as those updates become available.
“It can be too easy to put this off and click the ‘remind me tomorrow’ option. Unfortunately it can take a highly publicised attack such as this to affect behaviour.
“We say it so often, but the prospect of a cyber-attack can be incredibly daunting for the less tech-savvy and the temptation can be to bury heads in the sand.
“In reality, the simplest of measures such as those outlined in the Cyber Essentials scheme will put off the vast majority of criminal hackers – who tend to cast a wide net.”
[“Source-bbc”]
