WannaCry Cyber Attack Update: Another Type of Ransomware Detected; How to Keep Computers Safe
There have been recent reports that another type of WannaCrypt (or WannaCry) ransomware has been detected. While the attacks continue, people should learn of some ways to add a layer of protection to their files.
WannaCry Ransomware Produces New Variants
An official from the United States Department of Homeland Security, who requested to maintain his anonymity, has reportedly confirmed the discovery of a new variant of the WannaCry ransomware, according to Computerworld.
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The said official only confirmed that "some" computers have already been affected by the newly found ransomware but did not specify its attack's scope.
However, according to an earlier report from the cyber security research company Comae Technologies, several other variants of WannaCry have been detected and infected a lot of computers already.
It has yet to be confirmed whether the ransomware variant that the unnamed DHS official referred to is one of those that have been reported by Comae Technologies.
As of Monday, Comae Technologies founder Matthieu Suiche reports they were able to apply the second killswitch which helped stop the attack from spreading to more or less 10,000 computer units situated in 76 countries but most of the machines were "mainly from Russia."
The first killswitch was applied by a cyber security expert from the United Kingdom who blogs with the name MalwareTech. According to reports, he got help from Proofpoint's Darien Huss in blocking an even worse attack of WannaCry.
Keeping Computers Safe
Just like any attack, whether online or offline, precautionary measures are available to lessen the risk of getting infected by ransomware.
Always install updates
One of the highly recommended steps to secure computers is to regularly install software updates. Apart from adding new features, patches add security resolutions to bugs that were detected to be exploitable.
In fact, one of the ways WannaCry has effectively spread was through an unresolved security bug on Windows dubbed as the EternalBlue. It is believed to be one of the discovered flaws by the National Security Agency, which the agency reportedly stockpiled. Microsoft has since issued a security update for it.
Get a Decent Antivirus Software
Ransomwares often come to the computer in the form of a suspicious code or file, which most antivirus software immediately warns its users about. However, just like a computer system, it helps to regularly update the antivirus tool so it keeps a record of the latest codes and scripts of malware.
Avoid Fishy Emails and the Links Within
Phishing emails is another effective way for bad guys to infect a machine with ransomware. Some of these emails even use a very believable copy of a company's logo and incorporate it in the email.
So before clicking any link on an email, users should doublecheck the address of the sender. Spot obvious mistakes such as its having the wrong image or color of logo, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc. Keep in mind that legitimate emails from real companies do not ask for sensitive information such as ID details or password.
Backup Important Files
Ransomware attacks feed on people's fear of losing their files. But that will not be the case if victims have a spare copy of their files whether on a cloud or on a safe external drive. With that, there is no need to pay the culprits. Just reprogram the machine and restore the files only when the computer is definitely clean.
Several other important reminders: always unplug external hard drives after transferring files and only plug it on a certainly malware-free computer.
