You might think all cyber attacks are incredibly complex endeavours perpetrated by a network of masked geniuses. In reality, many of the most famous attacks aren’t the most sophisticated, but surprisingly preventable.
With TryHackMe, you can test yourself in cybersecurity challenges and courses inspired by real-world environments and events like those below.
WannaCry (2017)
On the 12th of May 2017, a ransomware virus – which encrypts data on infected computers and demands a ransom payment to restore access – known as WannaCry spread worldwide, disrupting organisations such as the UK’s NHS. The malware exploited a known vulnerability in Windows systems that had already been patched, but many organisations hadn’t installed the update.
WannaCry caused severe disruption, with thousands of appointments and operations cancelled and dozens of trusts affected. It demonstrated how a relatively simple weakness, such as failing to patch vulnerable systems, could have huge repercussions.
