16th May is the Black day for all the Computer Users as they hunted down by the serious security breakdown when their computer got infected by the Malware called “WannaCry”. As of now Millions of computer are infected by this malware across the world. And the wannacry hackers have demanded the Payment $200 and $300 in bitcoins from the Organisations/Individuals in order to decrypt the data otherwise their data will wiped out forever.
What this Malware Actually do?
Well, Wannacry malware is slightly different from the other malware it doesn’t slows down your PC instead it encrypts your total data by gaining the access through the file sharing protocol. It also spreads itself to the computers connected by the network. Mostly this malware is targeting the Govt. Organisations.
How to Prevent WannaCry-Like Ransomware Attacks
- Always Update your Antivirus and Perform Windows Security Updates
When it comes to security antivirus plays a vital role in protecting your computer from the serious threats. Antivirus comes with preloaded firewall which offers a better security as compared to windows firewall. On the other hand, make sure that your windows is not outdated if it so then you can be the victim of this ransomware attack.
Although by default windows comes with an Automatic Updates enabled. But if it doesn’t then you need to perform below steps:
Steps to Perform a Security Update in Windows 7
- Navigate to Control Panel/Or search windows Update directly from start menu
- Head towards System and Security and click on windows update.
- Choose setting options from left bar.
- Under Important Updates “Install Updated Automatically (Recommended) ” is selected. If not then please change to the desired one above.
Steps to Perform a Security Update in Windows 10
- Hit windows 10 start Button and navigate to search bar and Type Settings.
- Under the setting box Navigate to the update Box.
- After that click on check for Update. If there is any update which is currently not installed please install it.
- Restart the system Accordingly.
Always open the Mail that you Trust
If you receive a Mail from an Unknown Person/Individual which contains any attachment never click on it. Just mark it as a spam because there are 80% of possibility in which this malware can attack your PC by mail.
Always Make a Backup in External Drive Regularly
Despite taking all the above security measures there may be a chance that your system can be infected because we have seen some cases where viruses remains undetected despite having an Updated Antivirus Software. So ye need to make sure that you make a Backup of your essential data on regular or periodic basis on external drive or by using a cloud service . So that you can recover it in case of any data security breach.
Is Linux is Safe from the Wannacry Malware?
Absolutely Yes, Linux has the strong and solid security structure compared to any OS in the world. Ransomware cannot bypass the Linux file system as its blocked by default. Moreover it is developed for the windows system.
In conclusion Ransomware attacks, has proved that their impact can be devastating to small business owners and organisation. It is not only threats to small business and organisation it has an impact on people as well.
