Wiper Malware is malicious software that wipes away everything that comes in its path. The sole purpose of this malware is to cause destruction of the victim’s devices. This malware destroys the Master Boot Record of a computer making it inoperable. While it can end up causing substantial financial losses for the affected parties, its primary goal is not to steal money or sell information to cybercriminals but rather the destruction of information itself and/or the device.
Many malware attacks affect the Confidentiality or Integrity of data, but this malware affects the Availability of the data and the device itself. These attacks have been allegedly been used by Russian aggressors in February 2022 to target the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian Banks, non-profit and IT organizations, and increased attacks against military targets. These attacks could be valuable in wartime, as they can take important infrastructure supporting the military (drone systems, anti-missile systems, radar, etc.).
The vast majority of SMBs and MSPs are unlikely to see Wiper Malware itself but should be on high alert for other forms of malware, especially during conflicts involving nation-states. With that said, every SMB and MSP should have a process for handling critical vulnerability alerts in order to quickly assess risk and make important, time-sensitive decisions, on how to react. With a Vulnerability Alert Management Process (VAMP) in place, you can have a clear guide to when to jump and how high to jump for a given vulnerability or exposure.
In order to stay up to date at all times, it’s important to deploy a cloud-based patch management solution to automatically update software whenever and wherever necessary. Most Managed Service Providers leverage one of the big three Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solutions (Connectwise, Datto, and Kaseya) for patching their managed systems. These RMM solutions also provide monitoring, and remote access in addition to tested and validated patching services to their clients.
Standalone patch management solutions for companies not using the above-mentioned RMM solutions include ManageEngine and Automox.
Additional Cybersecurity Recommendations
Additionally, these recommendations below will help you and your business stay secure with the various threats you may face on a day-to-day basis. All of the suggestions listed below can be gained by hiring CyberHoot’s vCISO Program development services.
All of these recommendations are built into CyberHoot the product or CyberHoot’s vCISO Services. With CyberHoot you can govern, train, assess, and test your employees. Visit CyberHoot.com and sign up for our services today. At the very least continue to learn by enrolling in our monthly Cybersecurity newsletters to stay on top of current cybersecurity updates.
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Wiper malware targets Ukraine as military conflict extends into cyberspace
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