Security researchers at Avast have recorded over 57,000 detections of WanaCryptor 2.0 ransomware in 99 countries. Let me tell you, after the attack, the ransom being demanded is $300 worth of bitcoins. Well, here in this article we are going to cover some methods which will help you to protect your computer from WanaCry ransomware. The Wanacryptor Ransomware exploits a vulnerability in older versions of Windows: Windows 8, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The newer version of Windows like Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows Vista, Windows Server – 2008, 2012, 2016 are only vulnerable if the system is not up-to-date. Other operating systems are not vulnerable to this ransomware attacks. Mobile OS like iOS and Android are also not vulnerable. Windows 8, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users need to download the security updates provided by Microsoft.
Here are the security updates:
Windows 8 x86 Windows 8 x64 Windows XP SP2 x64 Windows XP SP3 x86 Windows XP Embedded SP3 x86 Windows Server 2003 SP2 x64 Windows Server 2003 SP2 x86
If you want security updates for other versions of Windows visit this link.
#Turn On Your Windows Update
Well, mostly we disable Microsoft’s automatic updates because they consume lots of data and time. However, you need to turn on the Windows update if it’s disabled. Go to control panel in Windows and then turn on the Automatic updates.
# Have a ransomware blocker
If you think that having an antivirus program will defend your computer against ransomware attacks. Then you need to replan your strategies. You need to have an all-in-one solution which has anti-ransomware tools. Well, you can choose between Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware and Cybereason Ransomfree. Both of them are free.
# Blocking Port 445
Recently a 22-year-old researcher from @Malware TechBlog had discovered a ‘kill switch’ that can disable all the functionality of the Wanacrypt0r 2.0 ransomware. Well, the ransomware attempts to connect to an unregistered domain after operating on victim’s computer.
— ScarewareTech (@MalwareTechBlog) May 15, 2017 The researcher also told that blocking TCP port 445 could help with the vulnerability if you haven’t patched your operating system yet.
What to do if you are already infected?
Well, right now it appears that there is no way to cancel the encryption process for free. However, researchers are still finding the way to deal with this ransomware. Staying protected is always the best way to dodge the ransomware. However, if you are already affected then you need to go through the guide provided by Bleeping computer. This is what you can do if you want to stay away from Wanacryptor ransomware. So, what do you think about this? Share your views in the comment box below.
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