Know more about Ransomware.

Man accidently stops cyber attack that hit 99 countries

A cyber security researcher unintentionally found a way to temporarily stop the massive ransomware

attack  that targeted 99 countries including india on Friday.

The researcher chanced upon a domain name in the code of the ‘ Wannacry’ ransomware.

Registering the domain name triggered the switch which had been hardcoded into the malware tostop it from spreading in case of emergencies.

How should one respond to ransomware attacks?

Ransomware is malicious program that looks files on a user’s computers or smartphones till the meet attackers ‘  ransom demands. Researchers encourage users hit by ransomware to call enforcement 

and not pay the money demanded, as it doesn’t guarantee the computer will be unlocked.

Preventive measures include using anti-virus, backing up files, and updating a device’s software 

regularly.

‘ Wannacry’ malware has hit 2 lakh victims, 150 countries

Friday ‘ s large – scale cyber attack dubbed as ‘wannacry’ hit 2 lakh victims in at least 150 countries

and number is feared to increase when people will return to work on Monday, European Union’s as

the ransomware was used in combination with “a worm functionality”  so the infection spread automatically, Europol added.

What is the impact of ransomware attacks in India

With increasing digitization in India, the country faces a greater risk of being affected by malicious

software such as ransomware which locks computer files till hacker’ demands are met. Such attacks

can harm services like online Aadhaar database. Andhra Pradesh police stations confirmed being hit by Friday’s WannaCry ransomware, but its impact was minimal as documents are also recorded offiline.

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