por On May 12, 2017, the first and one of the most famous attacks of ransomware on a global scale. More than 230,000 computers in more than 150 countries were victims of one of the types of malware most destructive in the world and, in this post, we talk to you about this by explaining what WannaCry is.
He ransomware WannaCry It was first found, according to Akamai Technologies, in the Southeast Asia region. An hour later, the virus WannaCry It was also detected in Latin America and, after three hours, it had reached Continental Europe and the United Kingdom.
The WannaCry virus indiscriminately affected hospitals, police stations, businesses, service companies, private users, and much more. Its spread generated million-dollar losses. For example, in the United Kingdom alone, the National Health Service (NHS) reported losses of more than £92 million. Read on and learn what WananCry is.
What is WannaCry
To understand what WannaCry is, it must be noted that it is a type of malware called ransomware. Although many web users do not know what WannaCry is, this powerful virus causes the computer to encrypt all or most of the files on the computer and, additionally, demands ransom money in order to decrypt the data. However, paying this amount is never a good idea, since less than 30% of the people who paid the ransom got their data back.
The way a ransomware is this: once the virus WannaCry installs on the computer, encrypts the files on the computer and converts them plain text to cyphertext. So, the victim will need a cryptographic key to be able to regain access to your data, which the attacker promises to give in exchange for paying a ransom.
You know what WannaCry is, but how was it created and who was responsible for spreading it? The last question, about those responsible for the infection, remains a mystery. However, The origins of WannaCry are openly known, as was the way the attack was stopped.
The history of WannaCry
Usually, the ransomware spread through attacks phishing, which are mainly directed to emails. However, this It was not the case of WannaCry.
What made WannaCry malware so harmful and dangerous was its high propagation capacity. A worm-like component managed to make the virus spread rapidly and exponentially throughout the world.
He ransomware WannaCry was first discovered by the National Security Agency (NSA) from United States. This agency could have reported the failure to Microsoft, but preferred to hide the information so that it could be used as a weapon, in what is known as National State Attacks, with WannaCry.
However, a hacking organization, known as The Shadow Brokers, attacked the NSA and leaked its secrets (including the WannaCry virus). This is how, finally, the ransomware o WannaCry cyberattack reached the hands of the attackers on May 12, 2017, whose identity is still unknown to the authorities.
How was WannaCry virus stopped?
On March 14, 2017, a few months before the WannaCry virus attack, Microsoft developed and made public the patch which prevents WannaCry infection through security bulletin MS-17-010. However the ransomware could affect all computers with operating system Microsoft Windows XP and outdated versions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2.
Marcus Hutchinsa 23-year-old British computer security researcher, was responsible for stopping the WannaCry attack in 2017. Also known as Malware Tech, Hutchins went down in hacking history as «The Accidental Hero.»
On the afternoon of the WannaCry virus attack, after having lunch with his colleagues, Marcus Hutchins found himself on different forums with news of the new malware, which had spread globally. The question of the moment, which was seen everywhere, was: what is WannaCry? What is the WannaCry cyber attack? Seeing the rate of spread of the virus, Hutchins assumed that it was, beyond a software malicious, of a computer worm.
Hutchins obtained a sample of the virus and ran it in a virtual environment with fake files and discovered that what the program was trying to do was connect to an unregistered web domain. As part of his workflow, Marcus Hutchins bought the web domain for the low cost of 10.69 USD. Unknowingly, by purchasing said domain, Hutchins stopped the WannaCry attack or cyberattack immediately. This maneuver is known as a Kill Switch.
How to avoid WannaCry?
Today, we are all subject to a cyber attack with the WannaCry virus. It’s not a question of «if», but rather a question of «when» it will happen. Therefore, there are tools and habits that allow you to protect yourself from the different types of attacks that exist.
He ransomware The WannaCry attack is one of the most destructive viruses that exist. Although Microsoft has developed patches for this bug, the best habit to avoid damage from a malware similar is to make a backup constantly and Frequently update your computer systems.
Microsoft has now resolved the bug that allowed the WannaCry attack to affect its devices, including those with the most outdated versions of Windows. However, More powerful versions of the WannaCry attack have been detected and, perhaps, it is a matter of time before more similar attacks emerge.
Where to continue?
Now that you know what WannaCry is and learn more about this historic cyberattack, you will want to continue learning everything about cybersecurity. You can become an expert in this area thanks to ‘s Full Stack Cybersecurity Bootcamp. Request information and sign up!