DDolfelin Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 So far my wish list and my appointments have not been encrypted by criminals. It seems to be a serious matter for others, the NHS and so on. No fun reaching the operating table when the surgeon doesn't have the information to proceed. I don't understand how the payments in 'bitcoins' takes place. I am a computer numbskull so would have thought that such payments could be traced somehow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Organisations that still use paper records and index cards must be laughing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 (edited) So far my wish list and my appointments have not been encrypted by criminals. It seems to be a serious matter for others, the NHS and so on. No fun reaching the operating table when the surgeon doesn't have the information to proceed. I don't understand how the payments in 'bitcoins' takes place. I am a computer numbskull so would have thought that such payments could be traced somehow. Bitcoin transactions are often moved via the dark web, and for all intents and purposes, are untraceable. A $ bitcoin is worth several hundred pounds, I think. The encryption is such that most local police forces do not have either the skills or resources to trace. Most child porn for instance, only comes to light when the downloader either uses a normal credit card for payment, or uses the open i.e. Normal usage web. Unfortunately for the security services.......The dark web is easy to access. Edited May 13, 2017 by BlackRat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 An interesting/frightening thought from someone on (I think) the BBC website.The world and his brother are circulating snaps of computers screens showing the ransom message. What if that screen actually had a QR code within the message, and that QR code took you to another virus so you'd actually be infecting what had been a 'clean' device and sending the QR codes to all your mates? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 13, 2017 An interesting/frightening thought from someone on (I think) the BBC website. The world and his brother are circulating snaps of computers screens showing the ransom message. What if that screen actually had a QR code within the message, and that QR code took you to another virus so you'd actually be infecting what had been a 'clean' device and sending the QR codes to all your mates? Just having an image on the screen shouldn't do anything unless there's already iffy software there looking out for them and processing them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 30801 Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 Just having an image on the screen shouldn't do anything unless there's already iffy software there looking out for them and processing them. Yep. Either you'd have an image viewer written by an idiot, or malware in which case there are better control mechanisms than looking for QR codes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 When I first heard this (about half an hour ago on the news) my first thought was that it must be the roll-out of Windows 11 . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick G Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Maybe the NHS should invest in some Mac's......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Al51 Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 13, 2017 Maybe the NHS should invest in some Mac's......... Out of the frying pan and into the fire maybe : https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/2016/03/first-mac-ransomware-spotted/ Al Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plarailfan Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 The NHS already has enough problems without this further setback. I just hope that patients suffering from dementia, etc, will have enough medication to keep them going until the situation is finally resolved and the information stored on computers, is restored to the doctors and others, who need to access those records. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 I would feel a little more sympathy for the NHS if it wasn't so smugly secretive about patient data. I mean your data should be made available to you at time of treatment, which might just mean the op still going ahead if you turn up with the x-rays under your arm. If I have an x-ray here I take it home with me. Blood test? A full analysis is in my letterbox the next morning. Urine sample? Ditto. Secrecy, as distinct from confidentiality, has no place in healthcare. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 So, as Russia is in a bit of a recession, they've decided on a new method of raising cash, the NHS being the first of many !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I keep hearing about this DarkWeb. Surely it is only part of the internet, not a searate infrastructure? So if I really wanted to I could access it? or anyone's movements on it could be traced by someone clever enough. Let's be silly now. What do I do just to have a look around? (Not that I have any interest, but just say I do have). Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted May 13, 2017 Author Share Posted May 13, 2017 Google Dark Web? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 When I first heard this (about half an hour ago on the news) my first thought was that it must be the roll-out of Windows 11 . Given that the problem is apparently down to the NHS still using Windows XP (which you've not been able to buy for 9 years), it's unlikely that they'll be having any problems with Windows 11 for at least a decade...... Having once worked for an IT services provider that did business with the NHS, I'm not entirely surprised. The was a lot of money thrown at replacing of green-screen dumb terminals (which require very little maintenance) with PCs (which need patching, and regular OS updates) without really understanding the increased operational costs involved. Half the time the PCs just ran terminal emulators...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I keep hearing about this DarkWeb. Surely it is only part of the internet, not a searate infrastructure? So if I really wanted to I could access it? or anyone's movements on it could be traced by someone clever enough. Let's be silly now. What do I do just to have a look around? (Not that I have any interest, but just say I do have). Stewart I think you need to have something like Tor as a Web browser in order to be able to "see" that sort of thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 (edited) I lay a large part of the blame for this at the door of the mainstream computer industry which has made itself fundamentally based on the economic model of continuous upgrades. Unfortunately for the IT industry, software does not "wear out" so they have to resort to strong arm tactics to make people change both hardware and software. If an individual or organisation has made an investment in suite of software running on a particular operating system, they are naturally going to be reluctant to upgrade if the following version of the OS makes that software and any necessary accompanying hardware unusable. In a cash-strapped organisation like the NHS, there's additional reason to avoid expense. I've been involved in three large scale corporate Windows version upgrades. These programmes are very expensive, running into millions, as they soak up a huge number of man-hours and require large external expenditure. On more than one programme, the use of open-source software was seriously considered but in the end, the mainstream vendors saw sense and came up with a financially viable deal as the headlines of a UK household name moving away from Windows and associated products would have had huge impact in the industry. There is good reason to upgrade if significant improvements are to be made but the upgrade path is sometimes more trouble than it's worth. Even the regular Windows Update process which should be a simple thing to use can be problematic. So I'm unsurprised that what looks like an organised criminal conspiracy has made a co-ordinated attack on vulnerable PCs. A Windows XP PC isn't automatically vulnerable, it's just that protecting one needs the user to be a bit more expert and self-reliant these days. Thank you Microsoft! Interesting to see that Microsoft have reportedly released a fix which can be applied to Windows XP machines, as well as later versions. Also interesting to see that there is a "kill switch" built into the malware too. Edited May 13, 2017 by 2mmMark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 See, even Microsoft execs can be driven mad by the upgrade process! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmisterporter Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I read not long ago that there are nuclear submarines still in service with their computer systems based on XP. Anybody heard from one recently? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamperman36 Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 just proves that there is no real replacement for proper paperwork to backup the computer. What would happen if the power was shut down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 just proves that there is no real replacement for proper paperwork to backup the computer. What would happen if the power was shut down. You wouldn't be able to see the paperwork in the dark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 Given the roll out of smart meters the power could be switched off by a hacker. Imagine someone turning off the power for a 10% of the domestic and small commercial users and then holding the other 90% to ransom... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 I read not long ago that there are nuclear submarines still in service with their computer systems based on XP. Anybody heard from one recently? Why has anyone rated this as "funny"? Thankfully, I think that you will find any such systems will be isolated from other computers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2017 Why has anyone rated this as "funny"? Thankfully, I think that you will find any such systems will be isolated from other computers. Because Geoff asked "Anybody heard from one recently?", and as a matter of fact, no I haven't. Have you? Probably not. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted May 13, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 13, 2017 Wait till they hack into your DCC and take command of the trains! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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