Deadly WannaCry is Back- Hits Connecticut State Agencies

Connecticut’s Department of Administrative Services has reported that WannaCry Ransomware has hit 12 Connecticut State Agencies on February 23. It was one of the deadliest last year and its back!

The massive and destructive ransomware of 2017 –WannaCry is back with a new target and this time Connecticut State Agencies were attacked by the WannaCry Ransomware Virus. The WannaCry Cyber Attack made headlines last year in May as one of the most destructive Ransomware attack. Around hundred and fifty countries were badly hit by this deadly ransomware, involving around three hundred thousand computer systems worldwide.

The cyber criminals have decided not to stop this year too and have targeted a dozen of state agencies in Connecticut this month. As reported by DAS (Connecticut’s Department of Administrative Services), around 160 computer systems in 12 state agencies have been infected by the destructive WannaCry Ransomware Virus in the latest attack launched. Still the name of agencies and the damage involved in the attack has not been revealed.

As per Jeffrey Beckham (spokesperson for the Agency),” IT personnel worked on the issue all weekend and had largely resolved the attack by evening of 25 February.”

In a statement, DAS Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond said, “State technology resources have made significant progress and expect a full containment this evening. We have no reports of files being encrypted or any data loss.”

So what makes this WannaCry Attack one of the most destructive in history ever?

The ransomware was successful in launching a massive global attack last year and demanded a ransom of $300 worth of bitcoin for releasing the encrypted files and data. Those who were hit by the WannaCry in 2017, were threatened that their data would be deleted permanently if the ransom is not paid by them. No Ransomware Removal Tool has still been developed to combat this deadly ransomware, causing havoc on a global level.

Last year, United States of America had blamed North Korea for launching this infamous Ransomware attack that affected the countries and organizations across the globe although North Korea chose to negate such allegations.

Tips to prevent your computer system from getting infected –

Since Ransomware can be very destructive and can lead to massive losses, it is crucial to remain cautious and undertake several precautions as stated below, so that your computer system remains protected :

1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
2. Resist clicking on spam emails- One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
3. Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Sophos. and BullGuard Internet Security so that it remains safe.
6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.

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