Notations From the Grid (Special Weekly Edition): On #WannaCry (Good Reminders)

As the aftermath of #WannaCry continues, we wanted to feature this we received from the team at @McAfee that provides some key updated reminders for all:

Dear McAfee Customer, This past Friday we witnessed a coordinated global cyberattack known as WannaCry. It is one of the biggest cyberattacks that we have ever seen impacting over 150 countries and infecting more than 250,000 machines. WannaCry is a type of malicious software (malware) classified as ransomware. It encrypts essential files on your Windows device and requires that you pay a ransom to unlock those files. Although it primarily focuses on organizational or business networks - as was the case with WannaCry - you can do your part to stop the spread of this by doing the following: Since our security products are automatically updated, as a McAfee customer you are protected from this ransomware when you connect to the Internet and update your security software. As new variants of this ransomware arise, we will continuously update our software to keep you protected. You can confirm your McAfee security is up-to-date by following these instructions. 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, click here to download emergency security patches from Microsoft. 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. Click here to learn more about phishing emails. 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. We are actively working on a free decryption tool that, if successful, we will make it available as soon as possible. We are also working with law enforcement agencies around the world to understand who conducted this attack and will do everything we can to bring them to justice. You can learn more about WannaCry by clicking here. Sincerely, Gary J. Davis Chief Consumer Security Evangelist McAfee, LLC Follow me on Twitter @GaryJDavis for breaking cybersecurity news.