News Article: That big ransomware attack yesterday

[AlistarWills]

This is an exploit that takes advantage of a known vulnerability in Windows. Everyone runs Windows, so nobody puts much effort into exploiting UNIX like OSs like OSX. If they did, the situations would be similar. Windows rules the roost, so it gets targeted.



All OSs can be exploited. The problem is that this really stings the no longer supported legacy OSs like Windows XP, Server 03 etc. Ones MS no longer patches.

A lot of places run legacy hardware. Making a huge technology change such as an operating system at a hospital isn't easy. Cost, compatibility, people who are "tech challenged" and the amount of time and money that it would take to train the employees to make such a change is usually not financially worth it. Unfortunately, it results in situations like this.

Might I add that M$oft still has their OS on a majority of computers out there. If you attack the OS with the largest numbers then you will pull in a larger number of those you breached.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I got the porn phish the other day. It relies on scaring you with a breached password as the subject line. Then, it goes on to threaten to reveal to the world your porn-watching habits. After carefully blocking them from further emails, I replied, with the subject line being "old passwords." My message read "Give it up, stupid a..holes"...

 

[Padreruf]

I got the porn phish the other day. It relies on scaring you with a breached password as the subject line. Then, it goes on to threaten to reveal to the world your porn-watching habits. After carefully blocking them from further emails, I replied, with the subject line being "old passwords." My message read "Give it up, stupid a..holes"...

My wife had this happen to her a couple of weeks ago...I laughed and asked her about her porn watching habits. She was not amused. Yes, we blocked them and moved on...but it is scary. I use Clam to protect our computers...seems to work well.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

My wife had this happen to her a couple of weeks ago...I laughed and asked her about her porn watching habits. She was not amused. Yes, we blocked them and moved on...but it is scary. I use Clam to protect our computers...seems to work well.

I have a number of programs, sort of belt and suspenders. The password they tried to use as a scare tactic was one that got breached years ago with Home Depot...