NSA Told Microsoft of Flaw Before Ransomware Attack

The attack is believed to have been carried out using tools that were stolen from the USA security agency NSA, which had been stockpiling on a number of vulnerabilities around Windows OS, MacOS, etc. They have stolen your data files and demand a ransom. You will know that you are a victim if your files retain their names but have a.wcry or.wncry extension (as opposed to, for example, .docx or.vsdx). In a matter of minutes, your files are our of reach. But having the backup helps assure that if you get hit with ransom ware you don’t have to pay up. It is thus wise to frequently back up important files on external disks – which have thankfully become far more affordable in recent years.

Payment in crypto-currency bitcoin helps hackers cover their tracks.

In an official statement, the central bank said the consequences of the ransomware attack had been dealt with quickly. Despite analysts and several companies calling out on India being badly affected by WAnnaCry, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) maintains that the country is not as affected as Europe and Russian Federation. The vulnerability, which is being used to carry out the attack, affects computers running Microsoft’s Windows OS, though the company had issued a patch to fix this on March 14.

As the WannaCry ransomware continues to spread – albeit more slowly now – across the internet, security researchers are discovering more about the malware’s impact. There haven’t been any specific instances of loss of life caused by the attack, but it isn’t much of a stretch to imagine people dying due lack of health-care information.

It’s particularly awful for shipment companies, auto parts manufacturers, and even health service providers that were hit with the worm due to how it affects client firms and customers.

Major global companies said they came under attack as well. That happened here with some systems of Windows. Also, it turned out that Russian Federation and India are the two worst hit countries, because of extensive use of Windows XP. How did it spread so fast?

Unlike many other malicious programmes, WannaCry has the ability to move around a network by itself.

Who is behind the attack? .

Agencies overseas including the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) are trying to identify the culprits behind this latest assault.

“Who’s culpable are the criminals that distributed it and the criminals that weaponized it”, Bossert said. Meanwhile, ministers hit out at NHS bosses for not improving cybersecurity, amid reports that an upgrade that could have prevented the attack was made available a month ago.

However, this assertion by the government goes against claims from cyber security experts.

Another analyst, Dan Olds of Gabriel Consulting Group, said Smith makes a reasonable argument in saying that business must do a better job of defending themselves as well. “We expect this is a small operation that is undertaking this”.