Introduction: A unique strain of ransomware known as
‘’WannaCry’’or ‘’Wanna DeCryptor’’, ‘’wcry’’, infected
more than 300,000 vulnerable systems globally, across 150 countries since
Friday, 12 May, 2017. WannaCry installs Doublepulsar - a backdoor that allows the device
to be remotely controlled. The malware freezes the infected device, pops up a
red screen with the message, "Oops, your files have been encrypted!"
It goes ahead to demand ransom payment in Bitcoin (equivalent to $300-$600)
before subsequently destroying the encrypted files if payment is not made. To
offer an insight on the consequences of the WannaCry ransomware attack, the Chinese state media says about 29,372 institutions was
infected along with hundreds of thousands of devices. In Japan, 2,000 computers
at 600 locations were reportedly affected. The ‘’WannaCry’’ransomware
attack also denied access to confidential patient information, stalled x-rays,
surgeries and other critical healthcare services in at least 47 hospitals under
the auspices of the United Kingdom’s National Health
Service (NHS). The list goes on. Envisage a Stuxnet cyberattack on a vulnerable
nuclear warhead or submarine. Tragedy!
