In what now seems like a foreboding example of premonition,Kansas Commissioner of Insurance Ken Selzer last Thursday releaseda shortlist of tips that his office intended to help individualsand businesses protect themselves against identity theft or a cyber attack.

“It is important that cyber vigilance begins athome,” Selzer said in his May 11 statement. “Knowing somecommon-sense precautions can keep you and your personal informationsafer.”

One day later, international hackers unleashed the WannaCryransomware program, which demands $300 from the user of an infectedcomputer or device in order to restore its data. As the virusspread over the weekend, insurance agents, brokers and consumersbraced themselves for a major tech headache last week.

Good reason to worry

White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossertsaid Monday that 150 countries and more than 300,000 peoplewere affected by the WannaCry attack, which revealed avulnerability already known to cyber security expertsworldwide.