WannaCry Ransomware Updates: Data Show Windows 7 Users Most Affected
While Microsoft has recently released a quick fix to address the security problems on the unsupported versions of Windows, including Windows 8 and Windows XP, recent data show that the most affected by the WannaCry ransomware are actually Windows 7 users.
According to reports, the data obtained by Kaspersky Lab show that about 98 percent of the computers affected by the ransomware are actually running Windows 7, and only less than a thousand affected are running Windows XP.
It has been learned that many computer owners from around the globe still run the Windows 7 as it is four times faster than its eventual successors, including the latest Windows 10. However, as Windows 10 is not vulnerable to the ransomware, it is not above anybody's head why Windows 7 users have become the target of the attacks.
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To recall, Microsoft released a patch for Windows 7 months prior to the ransomware attack, which is dubbed the worst Windows issue in recent history. However, the company only delivered the patch for the Windows XP once the ransomware already had taken on the toll on computer owners running the said version. Nonetheless, as the data reveal, the number of those Windows XP users affected by the WannaCry ransomware is relatively insignificant as compared to those using Windows 7.
Thankfully, the recent ransomware attack had different companies and individuals joining forces to curb the problem. As of this writing, a researcher from Quark Security has made available to the public an automated tool to deal with the problem that is expected to work for Windows 7, XP, Vista, and other affected versions of Windows.
Meanwhile, according to Financial Times, Microsoft found a business opportunity in the ransomware. Reportedly, the company initially held back the distribution of the free fix on the problem and, instead, charged businesses $1,000 a year for additional protection against security problems such as the one caused by the WannaCry ransomware.
While the company eventually released the fix for free, the damage had already been done.
