When "WannaCry" Strikes: Preparing for and Responding to the Largest Ransomware Attack in History

As many around the world were preparing for the Mother's Day weekend, the WannaCry ransomware attack hit over 70,000 organizations in nearly 100 countries in just one day, Friday, May 12th. After the weekend, the attack had affected over 150 countries and may yet continue to spread. It has become the largest ransomware attack in history.

Given the widespread and ongoing impact of WannaCry, along with the likelihood of spin-off ransomware coming in the near future, corporate officials such as in-house counsel need to be informed and prepared. With that in mind, here are some basic action items to consider:

Preparing for a WannaCry Attack

• Identify the Windows operating systems in your network that may be vulnerable to WannaCry or another spin-off ransomware and install the appropriate security patches. Indeed, it is important to stay up to date on security patches generally.