In order to do so, WannaCry uses a known vulnerability in the Windows operating system, jumping between PC and PC. Once one user has unwittingly installed this particular flavour of ransomware on their own PC, it tries to spread to other computers in the same network. An earlier version, named WeCry, was discovered back in February this year: it asked users for 0.1 bitcoin (currently worth $177, but with a fluctuating value) to unlock files and programs. The creators of this piece of ransomware are still unknown, but WannaCry is their second attempt at cyber-extortion. #nhscyberattack /1bcrqD9vEz- Myles Longfield Who are they? Shocking that our is under attack and being held to ransom. Most ransomware is spread hidden within Word documents, PDFs and other files normally sent via email, or through a secondary infection on computers already affected by viruses that offer a back door for further attacks. Once all the files are encrypted, it posts a message asking for payment to decrypt the files – and threatens to destroy the information if it doesn’t get paid, often with a timer attached to ramp up the pressure. When a computer is infected, the ransomware typically contacts a central server for the information it needs to activate, and then begins encrypting files on the infected computer with that information. Ransomware is a particularly nasty type of malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money to release it. The ransomware has already caused hospitals across England to divert emergency patients – but what is it, how does it spread and why is this happening in the first place? What is ransomware?
The co-ordinated attack had managed to infect large numbers of computers across the health service less than six hours after it was first noticed by security researchers, in part due to its ability to spread within networks from PC to PC
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