backup
3 articles with this tag
Tsurugi Handa Hospital ransomware (2021) — an unpatched VPN CVE and the backup trap
The way in, per the expert committee's report, was an internet-facing VPN device left unpatched against a known vulnerability (CVE-2018-13379), reachable with leaked credentials. Short passwords, no account lockout, and users holding admin rights made lateral movement easy. Decisively, the primary system and its backup were on the same network and both were encrypted — a backup that isn't isolated and offline is no backup when it counts. EMR recovery took about two months. Defend by patching internet-facing VPNs fast, revoking leaked/reused credentials, and keeping isolated, offline, 3-2-1 backups.
What is malware? Types, infection routes, and the basic defenses
Malware (malicious software) is the umbrella term for software built to harm your devices or data. Viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, and bots are all types under it. However different they look, the defense is the same three layers: close the entry (updates, don't open suspicious attachments/macros, MFA), detect (EDR, antivirus), and be able to recover (backups). Mastering the principle matters far more than memorizing the type names.
What is ransomware? How it works, how it gets in, and how to avoid paying
Ransomware is malware that encrypts your files and demands payment to get them back. Modern attacks add double extortion — they steal data first and threaten to leak it, so decryption alone doesn't stop the breach. Main entry routes: phishing, weak/no-MFA VPN/RDP, and unpatched internet-facing flaws. The single most important defense is offline/immutable backups plus restore tests — being able to recover without paying. Also close the entry (MFA, patching) and limit blast radius (least privilege, segmentation).