Important Things We Have Learned About WannaCry In the Past Week
May 21st, 2017: The past week saw one of the worst cyber-attacks in the history of the internet. The WannaCry Ransomware virus took over hospitals and businesses all around the world. The attack targeted systems all around the world and demanded a ransom of 300$ from over 300,000 computers in 150 different countries.
Here's what we know so far - There was ample warning about the attack. Microsoft's operating system called Windows was targeted by this attack using a vulnerability that was originally discovered by the National Security Agency. Files leaked by Shadow Brokers last month, resulted in this vulnerability becoming public.
Most people Don't update their PCs - According to surveys done by NetMarketShare, nearly half of the PCs currently being used around the world, are powered by Windows 7. The operating was released in 2009 and has seen regular updates by Microsoft including the one to patch the ransomware vulnerability. But most the people out there had not updated their machines. More than 7 percent of the world's PCs are still running Windows XP which is the most attacked OS till date.
Some people have paid the ransom - Many people, around the world, have simply decided to succumb to the attacker's demands and have readily paid an amount of 300$ in exchange for their precious data. As per reports, a total of $87,105 has been transferred to the attacker's account.
Attack will continue for a while - The WannaCry Ransomware spreads through unsafe file sharing practices all around the internet. This makes it very hard to eradicate the worm completely. Moreover, many people around the world have still not updated their machines which result in more real estate for the ransomware.
The Attackers/Hackers have more surprises coming - The Shadow Brokers have stated in an official statement that starting this June, the group will begin a "Data Dump" of the month service. This service will act as a monthly delivery of sensitive data acquired through illegal means. This could potentially lead to more hacks like the WannaCry Ransomware.