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So you’re at your computer fast clicking through emails and you find one from Dave. You think to yourself, “I haven’t seen or heard from Dave for quite some time.” Dave is a friend from college if you went due to upbringing or peer pressure. And if you didn’t attend college, just know that Dave is someone you’re familiar with for the crucks of this story.
After viewing the email from Dave, you notice that the context of the conversation seems to be a bit off however, you figure it’s been a while and it would be nice to catch up on lost time.
You find that Dave had left an attachment at the bottom of the email and decided to check it out. After interacting with the attachment, you’re hit with a notification saying “We have downloaded all your files and encrypted them. You have 48 hours to pay a lump sum via Bitcoin or they will be deleted forever.” Big evil, diabolical laugh placed here.
Let me script the kind of event you may be facing here.
William: Sir, are you sure that’s Dave? This email looks questionable.
Peter: Will, I’m tired of you and your lack of faith.
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Dave, not so Dave
The event you triggered is called ransomware, this is the act of gaining access to a target’s machine, collecting, and encrypting the data, and withholding it for ransom.
Many companies, big and small have encountered this at one point or another but the only difference between them and you are…well they usually have the money on hand to pay off the ransom whereas a regular person on the other hand may have a panic attack accompanied by the urge to run out and go play a game of Frogger.
Some time ago, certain ransomware surfaced going by the name of WannaCry. WannaCry had other names like WannaCypt and Wanna Decryptor but the end result was still the same.
Break in, collect, and encrypt the data, demand a nice close to unpayable ransom, and flake on the deal.
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Tears World Wide
So, how big of an effect did WannaCry have on the world? WannaCry was quite impactful, like a bully waiting for you outside of school at 3 o’clock wanting to punch your ever-loving lights out and you have no idea as to why, WannaCry knocked out more than 200,000 computers as a result quickly spreading across a span of about 150 countries.
This was a quick widespread infection that led corporate networks to panic which in turn led to catastrophic costs in billions of dollars in damages.
WannaCry even though it’s not prominent today and the event has been dealt with by a man going by the name Marcus Hutchins finding a kill switch, he inadvertently stopped the attack by registering a web domain found in the malware’s code. Didn’t know such a thing was possible but learning something new every day doesn’t hurt…well, not as much.
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Spicy Malware
If you’re curious as to how WannaCry did its thing, don’t worry, you’re in good digital hands. WannaCry had a worm component to make it extra spicy.
Computer worms, if you’re not familiar with them, could infect other devices nearby without the need for interaction. This means that when a worm gets in, it immediately looks for other vulnerabilities and replicates itself, that way it doesn’t party alone.
Back to WannaCry, when it had found a device to infect, it would encrypt files, images, documents, and all those questionable videos that you made and stored on a hidden part of your c: drive labeled “I look good in my birthday suit, and you can’t tell me otherwise.”
There was no hacking of your computer on that one, just a lucky guess. But like with your interaction with Dave, when you click on the attachment you run the risk of all of that being lost.
Student: What makes emails questionable?
Professor Ed: It’s questions like that is why you’re taking this training course.
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Positive Ransom-forcement
What are some steps you can take to ensure your information doesn’t sign you up for a ransom note? Simple, avoid reconnecting with friends from school, it never ends well.
When receiving an email with any redirection be it a link or downloading of anything, cross-check with the sender to see if it’s in fact them and you are not getting spoofed.
Having an up-to-date anti-virus and up-to-date OS always helps as these patches are frequently released to prevent possible infection of your machine.
To owners of a business, have your staff properly trained in being aware of what to look for in suspicious emails.
Frequently back up your data on another device such as an external drive, that way if your information gets encrypted you can restore it from the last save.
If you do find that your device is infected, quickly isolate your system before it has a chance to extend its infection to other devices on your network.
It has been known that when dealing with a ransomware situation paying the ransom doesn’t guarantee the attacker will release your data back to you, they may in turn keep your data locked and sell it to other interested parties. All in all, just avoid it if possible.
Tracy: Oh, I read a few scripts here and there.
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