This week, various news outlets reported on a new cyber threat targeting businesses in Europe, including utilities, that continues to sweep the globe. The threat, malware known as “Petrwrap” or “Petya” is similar to the “WannaCry” ransomware scheme that impacted vulnerable PCs in homes and businesses earlier this year.

“Ransomware is malicious software that takes advantage of vulnerabilities in security software and operating systems, and encrypts files,” said Brian Harris, Director, IT Infrastructure and Data Integrity. “It can happen when you click on a link or open a file, or in this case, just by not having the latest security patches applied to your operating system. But once it’s entered your system and your files are encrypted, your files are held for ‘ransom,’ and they won’t be unencrypted unless you pay whatever is demanded by the hackers controlling your system.”

As a precautionary measure, Jackson EMC applied security patches to all PCs designed to prevent these kind of attacks. "Aside from patches, we rely on good backups to protect against the threat of malware or ransomware," Harris said.

Jackson EMC is continuing to monitor the spread of new cyber-threats, which are constantly emerging and evolving. Protecting and securing our members' information is something we take very seriously