On Friday, May 12, the world experienced the anger of a well-coordinated ransomware attack, also known as “Wanna Cry“. The attack determined Britain’s NHS to cancel surgeries, a wide array of Russian and Chinese public and private institutions to be nonfunctional most of the day, and the rest of the world to be in shock. WannaCrypt or “Wanna Cry” has spread to at least 150 countries in only one day, being the most severe malware attack so far in 2017.
Firstly, let’s explain exactly what WannaCry is. This malware is an terrible type of trojan virus called “ransomware.” As we can deduce from the name, the virus holds the infected computer hostage. In order to regain access to the files of his or her computer, the victim should pay a ransom.
In the case of WannaCry, the software requests that the victim pays a ransom of $300, but in bitcoins, at the time of infection. The first deadline is three days. If the victim does not pay the ransom without three days, the demanded amount will be $600. After seven days without payment, all of the encrypted data and files will be deleted.
According to The Hill , “the ransomware is widely believed to be based on an alleged NSA hacking tool leaked by the group Shadow Brokers earlier this year. The government has not publicly acknowledged that the NSA developed the tool.“
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