How to Prevent WannaCry-Like Ransomware Attacks The WannaCry ransomware has caused a scare across the planet inside a couple of days of being discovered. the most important ransomware attack nonetheless, WannaCry was briefly stopped in its tracks by a British scientist by registering associate obscure internet address, at the same time as it infected two hundred,000 computers worldwide. People shortly created new WannaCry versions that might not be taken out with the first fix. and also the scope of this ransomware is large. Computers in over one hundred fifty countries are hit, from police departments in Republic of India to colleges and universities in China, and from Britain’s National Health Service to Telefónica in Espana. The WannaCry hackers have demanded payments of $200 to $600 (roughly Rs. 13,000 to Rs. 38,000) in bitcoins from organisations still as individual users whose computers had been infected, instead the info would be wiped. Even once individual users and IT departments patch and update their systems, there ar lingering considerations here. And if you'd prefer to safeguard yourself against such attacks within the future, there’s quite an bit that you just will do. Here ar some staple items to stay in mind to safeguard yourself from ransomware attacks. Never run files you don’t trust Most computer worms, including WannaCry, spread themselves with the help of unwitting computer users who run a file that they don’t know enough about. These files are sent through emails as attachments, or via obscure URLs masquerading as safe links. If you receive an email from an unknown source, or an executable file that you don’t trust, never click on it. Discard it into your junk/ spam folder, or delete the file, and empty the recycle bin. Moreover, Windows OSes since Vista have a security feature called User Account Control, which restricts unauthorised programs, such as the ransomware in question, from full administrative access. If an unknown app brings up a UAC
prompt, steer clear of giving it any such permission. There ar ways that to securely execute associate unreliable program, by running them within a virtual setting. In such a state of affairs, the program can’t move with the other files on your laptop. Security researchers use this methodology to check malware however you shouldn’t attempt it if you don’t recognize what you’re doing. Stay away from obsolete and pirated OSes The biggest reason for WannaCry’s success has been the very fact that the majority establishments, firms associated government agencies had been running an unsupported version of Windows, or associate obsolete one – XP in most cases – attributable to a scarcity of funding for his or her IT department. Malware like WannaCry place confidence in exploiting vulnerabilities in your system, and with Microsoft ending support for Windows XP in 2014, thousands of computers were in danger. The other issue was that there’s a significant culture of software system piracy in countries like Republic of India, China, and Russia, where businesses, and even government offices, were using pirated copies of Windows, which don't always have the required security updates. There's also the fact that Windows XP is really old (it released in 2001, 16 years ago), and the burden of security lies on the end-user too. As IT departments scramble to fix things around the world, they should implore their companies to either pay Microsoft for extended support contracts, or upgrade from outdated systems to newer versions to avert spread of ransomware such as WannaCry. For an individual user, it’s obviously much easier. If you’re on an old Windows machine, and haven’t been infected yet, install Microsoft’s emergency patch MS17-010. In the future, stay away from pirated/ unsupported Windows since you won’t receive timely updates, and make sure you’re using a version – Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 – that will get security updates in the long run. If you don’t wish to pay, consider moving to a Linux distro. Keep automatic updates on Simply having the latest Windows OS installed – Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 – isn’t enough. In the case of WannaCry, only the users who had the most recent (May
2017) updates installed, and the latest Windows Defender virus definitions, were not vulnerable to the WannaCry ransomware attack. This goes to show how important the boring update cycle can be, and why you shouldn’t take it lightly. Here’s how you can make sure you receive automatic updates on the supported Windows systems. If you don’t see some of the options below, make sure you’re logged in with an administrative account. On Windows 7 – 1. Head to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update. 2. On the left-hand side, choose Change settings. 3. Under Important updates, make sure it says Install updates automatically (recommended). 4. Check all the other boxes on the page, and then click OK. On Windows 8.1 – 1. Hit Win key + X, and click Control Panel. 2. Head to System and Security > Windows Update. 3. On the left-hand side, choose Change settings. 4. Under Important updates, make sure it says Install updates automatically (recommended). 5. Check all the other boxes on the page, and then click OK. On Windows 10 – 1. Hit Start key, and click on the Settings gear icon. 2. Head to Update & security, and then click Windows Update on the left. 3. On the right, choose Advanced options. 4. Under Choose when updates are installed, make sure it says Current Branch, and that both the values for feature and quality update are set to 0. 5. Check the first two boxes, and close the window. Third-party firewall and anti-virus The sheer ubiquity of Windows around the world means that hackers and criminals usually design their code for the most common environment, which includes the default Windows Firewall and Windows Defender. And though both are capable, they are far from perfect. If you wish to increase protection, you should consider investing in a good firewall and anti-virus, ideally a best each in its own regard. The two are often marketed
together as ‘Internet security suites’ these days, but it’s better to go for an individual winner for improved security. We have a long list of anti-virus solutions – paid and free – that you can look at, and there are several firewalls – Comodo, Kaspersky, and ZoneAlarm among them – that make a great contender. Most anti-virus and firewall programs also offer extended protection in the form of website filtering, which warns you of unsafe websites; network scans, which looks at security issues with your router and network protocols; and software updater, which makes sure that you aren’t using an outdated version of a program. Backup your important data regularly