Posted on 06/28/2017 9:51:49 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Tuesday’s massive ransomware outbreak was, in fact, something much worse
Payload delivered in mass attack destroys data, with no hope of recovery.
DAN GOODIN - 6/29/2017, 5:30 AM
Tuesday's massive outbreak of malware that shut down computers around the world has been almost universally blamed on ransomware, which by definition seeks to make money by unlocking data held hostage only if victims pay a hefty fee. Now, some researchers are drawing an even bleaker assessment—that the malware was a wiper with the objective of permanently destroying data.
Initially, researchers said the malware was a new version of the Petya ransomware that first struck in early 2016. Later, researchers said it was a new, never-before-seen ransomware package that mimicked some of Petya's behaviors. With more time to analyze the malware, researchers on Wednesday are highlighting some curious behavior for a piece of malware that was nearly perfect in almost all other respects: its code is so aggressive that it's impossible for victims to recover their data.
In other words, the researchers said, the payload delivered in Tuesday's outbreak wasn't ransomware at all. Instead, its true objective was to permanently wipe as many hard drives as possible on infected networks, in much the way the Shamoon disk wiper left a wake of destruction in Saudi Arabia. Some researchers have said Shamoon is likely the work of developers sponsored by an as-yet unidentified country. Researchers analyzing Tuesday's malware—alternatively dubbed PetyaWrap, NotPetya, and ExPetr—are speculating the ransom note left behind in Tuesday's attack was, in fact, a hoax intended to capitalize on media interest sparked by last month's massive WCry outbreak.
(Excerpt) Read more at arstechnica.com ...
Another CIA tool let loose.
Important data should always be backed up and kept offline.
Could be Russia. Or the US Deep State destroying incriminating evidence of its own crimes, under the cover of worldwide cyber chaos.
“Another CIA tool let loose.”
yep.
“Important data should always be backed up and kept offline.”
yep.
There is no “offline”, once you’ve gone to the cloud. So all eyes are on the cloud, I would presume.
Could be a Rockefeller Reptilian who infiltrated the KGB, was assigned to worming his way into the Vatican, where he was assigned to the Bilderburger Illuminati liason office, too.
So, if it destroys the master boot record, use a utility to copy your disks master boot record to file so you can restore it later.
Good suggestion for the future plot of “The Godfather Part IV”.
Yep. I back mine up to an external every day.
As for the Godfather IV, that'll be mostly how some guy who buys into the gaming and hospitality industry becomes President then realizes that the mob is quietly helping him fight the globalists who have nearly destroyed all the solid business it took nearly a hundred years for the mob to build.
Once he knows, does coordinate with them or simply pretend he doesn't know and let things play out without his actively trying to help them in return for them helping him.
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
Which is part of why I deactivated all cloud functions on my machines. I suppose there may be an empty space associated with this iPad but nothing is stored on a machine I don’t own.
With multiple terabyte free standing hard drives $150 +/- on Amazon, there is no reason not to follow your advice. Get two, swap out and dupe all drives every week, and you can never miss one than a week’s data.
Amazon
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FOUR TB FOR $129, Incredible!
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