How to avoid or minimize the effects a ransomware attack
Published May 14, 2017 11:20am
There are a few and simple ways to protect yourself from ransomware, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
"Ang advise ko diyan dapat iyong files mo meron kang back up. Every time na may bago kang data, iba-back up mo 'yan," DICT Assistant Secretary Allan Cabanlong said in an interview.
Cabanlong also said computer users should avoid opening links from unknown sources, especially if these links are sent through email.
Even emails from trusted senders, computer users should also be very careful when opening them.
Cabanlong said a ransomware, including WannaCry that was used by cyber extortionists in thousands of attacks around the globe on Saturday, is simply a virus that encrypts files or data.
Once the cyber criminals have hacked into your system and have encrypted your most precious files or data, "they will ask for money in para iyong data mo ide-decrypt nila."
In exchange for money, the hackers usually provide a key to the victim to decrypt their stolen data.
He said the health sector are among those most vulnerable to ransomware attacks because they usually put their data in an unsecured system.
How WannaCry works
Anti-virus company Kaspersky Lab said that it had detected over 45,000 cases of WannaCry attacks in at least 70 countries.
"The largest number of attacks occurred in Russia, but Ukraine, India, and Taiwan have suffered damage from WannaCry as well. All in all, we have discovered WannaCry in 74 countries. This was only on the first day of the attack," it said.
Kaspersky Lab said the WannaCry virus takes advantage of the Widows exploit "EternalBlue," which attacks the vulnerability that Microsoft patched in security update MS17-010 last Marcy 14.
It cyber extortionists used the exploit to gain remote access to computers and install the encryptor.
"After hacking a computer successfully, WannaCry attempts to spread itself over the local network onto other computers, in a manner of a computer worm. The encryptor scans other computers for the same vulnerability that can be exploited with the help of EternalBlue, and when WannaCry finds vulnerable machine, it attacks and encrypts files on it," the anti-virus firm said.
It added that WannaCry can infect an entire local area network.
"This is why large companies suffered the most from the WannaCry attack —the more computers there are on the network, the larger the damage," it said.
Kaspersky also advises computer owners to back up their files more regularly. It said a computer with a recently backed up file may still be attacked, but "catastrophe" will be avoided. —ALG, GMA News
Show comments
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scit...ook&utm_campaign=scitech#sthash.LorqhriU.dpuf
Published May 14, 2017 11:20am
There are a few and simple ways to protect yourself from ransomware, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
"Ang advise ko diyan dapat iyong files mo meron kang back up. Every time na may bago kang data, iba-back up mo 'yan," DICT Assistant Secretary Allan Cabanlong said in an interview.
Cabanlong also said computer users should avoid opening links from unknown sources, especially if these links are sent through email.
Even emails from trusted senders, computer users should also be very careful when opening them.
Cabanlong said a ransomware, including WannaCry that was used by cyber extortionists in thousands of attacks around the globe on Saturday, is simply a virus that encrypts files or data.
Once the cyber criminals have hacked into your system and have encrypted your most precious files or data, "they will ask for money in para iyong data mo ide-decrypt nila."
In exchange for money, the hackers usually provide a key to the victim to decrypt their stolen data.
He said the health sector are among those most vulnerable to ransomware attacks because they usually put their data in an unsecured system.
How WannaCry works
Anti-virus company Kaspersky Lab said that it had detected over 45,000 cases of WannaCry attacks in at least 70 countries.
"The largest number of attacks occurred in Russia, but Ukraine, India, and Taiwan have suffered damage from WannaCry as well. All in all, we have discovered WannaCry in 74 countries. This was only on the first day of the attack," it said.
Kaspersky Lab said the WannaCry virus takes advantage of the Widows exploit "EternalBlue," which attacks the vulnerability that Microsoft patched in security update MS17-010 last Marcy 14.
It cyber extortionists used the exploit to gain remote access to computers and install the encryptor.
"After hacking a computer successfully, WannaCry attempts to spread itself over the local network onto other computers, in a manner of a computer worm. The encryptor scans other computers for the same vulnerability that can be exploited with the help of EternalBlue, and when WannaCry finds vulnerable machine, it attacks and encrypts files on it," the anti-virus firm said.
It added that WannaCry can infect an entire local area network.
"This is why large companies suffered the most from the WannaCry attack —the more computers there are on the network, the larger the damage," it said.
Kaspersky also advises computer owners to back up their files more regularly. It said a computer with a recently backed up file may still be attacked, but "catastrophe" will be avoided. —ALG, GMA News
Show comments
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scit...ook&utm_campaign=scitech#sthash.LorqhriU.dpuf
