After Bay Area Ransomware Attack, Is SEPTA Ready? Are You?
by KYW tech editor Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- San Francisco's mass transit system is recovering from an attack that knocked its ticketing system offline over the weekend. It's a cautionary tale for SEPTA and other agencies and businesses -- and for the rest of us.
That the ransomware allowed for free rides in the Bay Area and didn't derail trains makes this tale cautionary rather than calamitous. But hackers are searching for deeper vulnerabilities everywhere, from banks to the power grid, from transit operations to your own computer.
"Critical infrastructure is still woefully unprotected," says Robert Capps, vice president of business development for NuData Security. "It's up to all of us to start to patch up some of those holes and take a serious look at security."
The San Francisco attacker appears to have slipped in through outdated or unpatched software; that's a problem on many home PCs, too.
"If you're running any sort of computer system, you have some level of risk," Capps tells KYW Newsradio. "It's not unlike any other physical risk that organizations are dealing with, whether it be an ice storm, a blizzard, and earthquake, civil unrest -- whatever. We have plans in place in organizations to recover. And it's really critical to have the same sort of plans in place for cyber risks."
He says systems that run critical infrastructure should already be air gapped, meaning they can't be accessed by other computers or over the network.
Your best defenses include keeping up your guard with email: ransomware attacks are most commonly delivered in messages that look legit, but contain malicious attachments or links. Back up your files early and often. And keep your operating system and other computer software up-to-date. The FBI offers more detailed tips to battle such malware.
