The vast majority of the targets of this massive historical attack, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of computers, were significant organizations. The list of affected businesses is endless and includes hospitals, auto manufacturing, power plants, railroad companies, etc.
The Lazarus Group of North Korea was ultimately blamed for the attack. However, WannaCry is likely most significant for bringing attention to the current pandemic of ransomware. Although not new, it raised awareness of this type of virus, which had not yet gained as much notoriety. Infosec influencers shared a handful of their day's experiences and lessons learned on Twitter.
The WannaCry ransomware event, which started as a spillover from a North Korean hack, marks its fifth anniversary. The NHS was finally driven to its knees by the spillage, but a lucky Brit managed to stop it in its tracks by purchasing a kill switch domain.
Marcus Hutchins (@MalwareTechBlog), a tremendously prominent influencer in the security area on Twitter, was that Brit when he was 22 years old. On the anniversary date, he shared a lot of his personal memories. He stated news queries were flooding in. He is still hailed as a hero for discovering the kill switch that halted the ransomware from spreading further.
"I keep receiving interview requests like 'it's the 5-year anniversary of WannaCry—where are you now and how did the publicity improve your career?'" Marcus tweeted.
In response, I have to explain that I continue to hold the same role at the same firm as I did prior to all of that.
Little has changed since that day in 2017 when WannaCry initially struck, according to security experts, just like Hutchins' employment choices.
Five years have passed since WannaCry. A lot has changed and not a lot has, Was it the seismic shift in how people see security and cyber risk that we had hoped for? Did TAs get greater knowledge than us? Have governments taken steps to make the zero days and offensive sec tools they build more secure? What do you believe?
The overwhelming majority of respondents believed that, despite its high visibility, WannaCry had little long-lasting impact.
Was it the seismic shift in how people see security and cyber risk that we had hoped for? No. Did TAs get greater knowledge than us? Probably. Have governments taken steps to make the zero days and offensive sec tools they build more secure? I believe that policy and reality have changed, but who knows? Daniel Card (@UK Daniel Card), a researcher and ethical hacker, tweeted.
This is evidently reflected in WannaCry's current ranking as a top threat, which is still active and waiting for the ideal chance to target susceptible companies.
Additionally, cybercriminals currently utilizing WannaCry have improved and retooled versions of the malware that does away with the "low-hanging fruit" kill switch that finally led to its demise five years ago.
So, happy fifth birthday, WannaCry! You don't seem older than four. You are as young as the day you were born if the condition of many networks is any indicator. But not everyone believes that you deserve to be honored.
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