WannaCry Ransomware
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The WannaCry attack of 2017 is the perfect example of why you should always install security updates as soon as they’re released. This was, probably, the most avoidable ransomware incident. And, at the same time, one of the most damaging and rapidly spreading malware outbreaks.
This is the story of the WannaCry ransomware: a story involving North Korean hackers, unpatched Windows PCs and, oddly enough, American spies. Well, sort of.
What is WannaCry ransomware?
WannaCry and this is a mouthful, is a network cryptoworm ransomware.
Unlike most ransomware that spread through malicious email attachments, WannaCry has a worm component that exploits a Server Message Block (SMB) protocol implementation in older versions of Windows.
SMB is a protocol that essentially allows multiple nodes to talk to each other over a network. Because of its flawed design, hackers were able to execute arbitrary code and the malware could self-propagate, spreading at incredible speeds. Once it infected one …
This is the story of the WannaCry ransomware: a story involving North Korean hackers, unpatched Windows PCs and, oddly enough, American spies. Well, sort of.
What is WannaCry ransomware?
WannaCry and this is a mouthful, is a network cryptoworm ransomware.
Unlike most ransomware that spread through malicious email attachments, WannaCry has a worm component that exploits a Server Message Block (SMB) protocol implementation in older versions of Windows.
SMB is a protocol that essentially allows multiple nodes to talk to each other over a network. Because of its flawed design, hackers were able to execute arbitrary code and the malware could self-propagate, spreading at incredible speeds. Once it infected one …