What Is WannaCry Ransomware Attacks 2017?
WannaCry, One of the Ransomware Attacks in 2017
WannaCry - A global ransomware attack occurred in May 2017, affecting Windows systems, including Windows 7, 8, 10, and XP, by exploiting a vulnerability in the operating system, causing widespread disruptions to many organizations and companies.
Once your computer is infected, you'll be unable to access your important files unless you pay a ransom of 300 dollars in bitcoin. If you don't pay, the ransom will increase to 600 dollars after three days, and if you still don't pay, you'll lose all your files after seven days.
The Influence of Ransomware WannaCry
The WannaCry ransomware attack has been making headlines, and it's essential to be aware of its impact. The attackers used only two NSA exploits, which surprisingly led to a massive disruption, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity.
The WannaCry ransomware has affected at least 150 countries, including major economies like Britain, China, Russia, Germany, and Spain, and has infected over 230,000 computers from various sectors such as hospitals, universities, manufacturers, and government agencies.
The Prime Targets of Ransomware Attack in 2017
The prime targets of ransomware attacks are often hospitals, universities, manufacturers, and government agencies, among others.
1. Any organization needs to access critical data every day. The public can't afford to be locked out of their data, yet they're likely to be victims of ransomware, unlike institutions like banks, hospitals, Congress, police departments, airlines, and airports, which are more likely to be targeted.
2. Any large corporation or government agency, especially those with critical infrastructure, is also at risk to a certain extent.
3. If you can't regularly update or upgrade your computer, you may be targeted by cyber threats.
How does Ransomware Work?
Hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in Windows systems to attack companies and organizations that rely on accessing critical data daily.
Some unnecessary ports like 445, 135, 137,139, etc can be used by attackers. You can choose to block port 445 or others in Windows.
Prevention Measures for WannaCry Ransomware or Similar Attack
When ransomware like WannaCry strikes, there are still steps we can take to mitigate the damage and prevent it from spreading.
1. Don't click these suspicious Emails and Links. Be cautious with emails that contain links, as they may spread viruses if clicked on without proper verification.
2. Install a ransomware attack patch on the computer. Regularly applying patches to security holes is crucial to prevent data loss. Since important files and folders are stored on your computer, a security breach can result in permanent loss of these valuable assets. Additionally, running whitelisting software on machines can provide some protection against attacks, as it only allows the installation of approved software, thereby resisting unauthorized changes to the system.
3. Install antivirus software. Antivirus software can detect viruses, reducing the risk of a virus attack by regularly checking your computer.
4. Block unnecessary ports 445 in Windows. On Windows systems, including Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003/2008, certain unnecessary ports are left open by default. These include ports 445, 135, 137, and 139, which can be exploited by malicious individuals to attack your computer if not blocked. Closing these ports can help prevent unauthorized access and protect your system from potential threats.
5. Disconnect the computer. To prevent further infection, administrators will immediately disconnect infected systems from the corporate network and disable WiFi and Bluetooth on those machines.
The Core Strategy to Prevent Data Loss Even in Ransomware
Even with precautions, being careful is still necessary as losing data or paying a ransom can still occur, similar to the WannaCry Ransomware incident.
- The suspicious emails or links may become increasingly sophisticated, making them more difficult to identify.
- Sometimes, putting patches can be forgotten.
- Antivirus software is not perfect, which may not recognize all the viruses.
- ...
We had a frustrating experience with Windows, where a virus attacked our computer, causing it to freeze and lose data. This made us realize that the Windows system is not perfect and can be vulnerable to security threats. As a result, we need to be cautious and not rely too heavily on it.
To prevent data loss, follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy: keep three copies of your files on two different locations, one of which is offsite. This ensures you always have a backup, even if your computer is compromised. Utilize the free auto backup software Qiling Disk Master Standard to aid in this process, allowing you to create and manage backup copies with ease.
- Backup your files to external storage devices such as a hard drive (HDD or SSD), USB drive, network drive, or NAS, or to cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
- You can automate the backup process using the schedule backup feature, which allows you to set daily, weekly, or monthly backups. Even if you frequently change files, you can still run hourly backups under the daily setting.
- To optimize backup time and disk space, use an incremental backup that only tracks changes to specific files, rather than backing up the entire system. This approach saves time and reduces storage needs. Additionally, the software can automatically compress the backup image to a smaller size, and only backup the used sectors of the file system, further minimizing the space required.
To prevent data loss even in the event of a Ransomware attack, please install Qiling Disk Master Standard.
The free version of this software only supports Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP, and Vista. For server users, they can try Qiling Disk Master server instead.
Step 1: Launch Qiling Disk Master Standard, click Backup, and then File Backup.
Step 3: Click Folders or Files and select the files or folders you want to backup.
Tip: Optionally, you can click Filter settings to backup files with a certain file extension, which is displayed as a funnel shape and allows you to include or exclude files or folders, available on the professional version.
Step 4: Select a location to store your files or folders. As you can see below, you have several choices.
- To backup files to an external drive, click on "Select a local path" and choose an external hard drive, solid-state drive, or USB drive to save your files to. Make sure the drive is connected before running the software.
- To backup Windows 10 to a network drive or NAS device, click on "Add Share or NAS Device". This allows you to save backup files to a Synology NAS, among other options.
- To back up a local folder, click "Select a cloud drive" and choose from a list of available cloud drives, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or OneBox, among others. However, note that this feature requires you to have a cloud drive installed and configured beforehand.
Step 5: After completing the above steps, click "Proceed" to continue the process. To prevent data loss, set "Options", "Schedule Backup", and "Backup Scheme" as needed.
- On the Options page, you can make various adjustments, including writing a comment, changing the compression level, and enabling email notifications. The professional version offers an additional feature, allowing you to enable passwords for a backup task.
- To schedule a backup, click on the "Schedule Backup" option and enable it. This allows you to set up automatic backups at specific times, dates, or intervals, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. Additionally, you can utilize the USB plug-in feature to automatically copy files when a USB drive is connected. This feature is recommended for convenience and ease of use.
- Optionally, On the professional version, you can change the backup method to differential backup and enable automatic backup cleanup methods, which is the most thorough way to manage disk space and ensure there is always space for new backups.
Tip:
1. This software supports various backup types, including system, disk, and partition backups, in addition to file backup, allowing users to select the option that best suits their needs.
2. If you want to keep files or folders in their original structure, so you can use them at any time, consider using File Sync or premium features like File Sync, File Sync, and File sync.
Summary
The WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 encrypted computers for numerous organizations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals, demanding a ransom in exchange for decryption, with the threat of data deletion after 7 days if payment wasn't made.
To avoid being a victim of a ransomware attack, you should take proactive measures and backup your files using a 3-2-1 backup strategy. This involves creating a portable version of a backup software on multiple computers, running it from a removable device, and ensuring that your backups are stored on different media types, such as external hard drives, cloud storage, and DVDs. This way, even if your primary computer is compromised, you can restore your files from the backups.
Related Articles
- How to Recover Unsaved Excel Files in Windows 10 (4 Ways)
If you are experiencing scenarios where you need to find and recover unsaved excel files, click on this article, and here are 4 useful ways for you.