lauren@vortex.com
Date: Fri, 12 May 2017 16:27:31 -0700
NNSquad http://gizmodo.com/today-s-massive-ransomware-attack-was-mostly-preventabl-1795179984
Here's what happened: Unknown attackers deployed a virus targeting
Microsoft servers running the file sharing protocol Server Message Block
(SMB). Only servers that weren't updated after March 14 with the MS17-010
patch were affected; this patch resolved an exploit known as ExternalBlue,
once a closely guarded secret of the National Security Agent, which was
leaked last month by ShadowBrokers, a hacker group that first revealed
itself last summer. The ransomware, aptly named WannaCry, did not spread
because of people clicking on bad links. The only way to prevent this
attack was to have already installed the update.