TERROR VIRUS, RANSOMWARE SPREAD PANIC WORLDWIDE

THE deadly ransomware virus that hit no fewer than 150 countries across the globe at the weekend is spreading panic around  the world, causing  widespread damage.

About Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that carries out the cryptoviral extortion attack from cryptovirology that blocks access to data until a ransom is paid and displays a message requesting payment to unlock it. Simple ransomware may lock the system in a way which is not difficult for a knowledgeable person to reverse. More advanced malware encrypts the victim’s files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them.The ransomware may also encrypt the computer’s Master  or the entire hard drive. Thus, ransomware is a denial-of-access attack that prevents computer users from accessing files since it is intractable to decrypt the files without the decryption key. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan that has a payload disguised as a legitimate file. •Cyber Criminal The young cyber  expert who saved the world The young cyber expert who saved the NHS from hackers is working with GCHQ to head off another attack, it has been claimed. Marcus Hutchins has been credited with stopping the WannaCry ransomware attack from spreading across the globe by accidentally triggering a “kill switch”. The self-taught 22-year-old took just few hours to stop the breach, which had already spread to more than 200,000 victims – including the NHS – across 150 countries. Already, security experts have warned that the full impact of the audacious cyber attack that crippled 200,000 computers globally  might be truly felt in the days ahead  as workers returned  to their offices and turn back on their computers.

The cyber attack, according to industry watchers, appears to have caused more economic harm than good, as  many countries appear apprehensive on further attacks. While the software giant, Microsoft has warned that the attack should be treated by governments around the world as a “wake-up call”,  the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has noted that this is the time for Nigeria to fortify its network to avoid cyber vulnerability. The virus, also known as “WannaCry” or “Wannacrypt”, according to report, is believed to be part of the United States National Security Agency hacking tools that were leaked earlier in the year. The ransomware virus, the report added, swept computers running on Microsoft Windows Operating System, especially those not currently supported such as Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003, across the globe.

Cybersecurity  researcher

Notable organisations affected by the virus since Friday included the National Health Service, NHS, in the UK, along with Telefonica in Spain. Courier giant, FedEx, was also hit by the virus, Sky News reported. The spread of a “ransomware” attack against computer systems around the world, according to report, affected the United States much less than other nations because a British cybersecurity researcher accidentally stopped the attack from spreading more widely, according to cybersecurity experts.

Hackers appeared to have exploited a flaw in Microsoft’s Windows operating system that was first discovered by the United States National Security Agency. The flaw and a tool to exploit it with malicious software were made public in April by a hacker collectively known as Shadow Brokers. NITDA gives Nigerians guidelines on protection: Worried about the attack, the NITDA Director General, Ibrahim Pantami, has given Nigerians guidelines on how to protect their personal and workplace computers from being affected by ransomware.

According to the NITDA DG, Nigerians should isolate their systems from their networks if infected by ransomware. To prevent threat from further spreading, he advised Nigerians to take the following actions: Remove the system from network. Do not use flash/pen drive, external drives on the system to copy files to other systems. Format the system completely and get fresh OS copy installed. As a general precautionary measure, he said that NITDA recommended that individuals and organisations should regularly update their operating systems with the latest patches, regularly update their software applications with latest patches, avoid downloading and opening unsolicited files and attachments, adjust security software to scan compressed or archived files, and avoid indiscriminate use of wireless connections, such as Bluetooth or infrared ports.

Similarly, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in fulfillment of its statutory mandate to assure the security and integrity of the national telecommunications network has alerted  all operators and their respective subscribers of the  outbreak of a Ransomeware Virus known as “WannaCry”. According to NCC, the Ransomeware is capable of infecting and encrypting all files on a system or any smart device until an amount is paid for a decryption key, or other means of retrieval which may lead to data loss are used to recover the system as an alternative. “This situation demands that proactive measures be taken by all players in the telecommunication eco-system to forestall the hazards of critical data loss, financial losses and ultimately network/business disruption”, NCC added.

Read more at: http://ift.tt/2qPGyvS

Source: Abuja reporters
Mr Olumide’s Blog

The post TERROR VIRUS, RANSOMWARE SPREAD PANIC WORLDWIDE appeared first on Mr Olumide's Blog.