A simple network scanning following a client request; exposed several computers on the network vulnerable to WannaCry attack. Unfortunately, the computer hygiene for most companies is poor.

Staff are lazy. They don’t want to learn how to keep their computers secure. They are fast to connect to the Internet to access their social media accounts. However, they don’t have time to learn how to download latest upgrades to fix their computers.

Unfortunately, any network is strong as its weakest link. One vulnerable machine on the network, exposes many other machines that are secure to the attack. Using basic network analysis and vulnerability checking tool; I was able to identify the computers that are vulnerable within 5 minutes of scanning. Below is the screenshot of the results of one of the computers on the network that was found vulnerable to the WannaCry attack.

Figure 1: PC on the network with a WannaCry Vulnerability

Figure 2: Vulnerability details

Recommended fixes for such a vulnerability include:

a)      The affected PC is running an old version of Windows File and Printer Sharing which contains a serious bug. Attackers can infect your PC over the network without your knowledge and install malware remotely. This is what enabled the WannaCry (WanaCrypt0r) ransomware to infect thousands of computers worldwide on May 12th, 2017.

b)      To solve this problem, immediately install the MS17-010 security update on the affected system. Select your Windows version to view further instructions on how to fix the problem:

To learn more on how to be secure at individual and enterprise level, visit mustaphabm5.sg-host.com or contact us and become a certified cyber security manager today.