Ransomware, What is WannaCry?

Ransomware, What is WannaCryWhat Is Ransomware?

Ransomware, What is WannaCry – Ransomware is a malicious software that blocks access to user data or data on the user system until the person affected pays a ransom to the person or organization who has blocked the data. More advanced ransomware, such as the WannaCry worm, encrypts the victim’s files, making them inaccessible. Then it demands a ransom to decrypt the data, supposedly allowing the user to access and use them once again.

What Happened with WannaCry?

To date, the WannaCry ransomware attack has affected around a quarter of a million computers around the world, majorly affecting European and Russian devices, and harming institutions and businesses as large as the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), Spain’s Telefónica, and FedEx. WannaCry’s high rate of infection is due to the EternalBlue exploit and DoublePulsar backdoor, thought to have been developed by the US’s National Security Agency (NSA). These exploits helped spread the worm through local networks and remote hosts, infecting other devices.

Like other ransomware software, WannaCry works by encrypting the data on the device in a way that renders it inaccessible to the user. It then asks the user for money in exchange for the data. While it worked in WannaCry’s case, there is usually no guarantee of the data being decrypted for its users, and sometimes the data is lost unconditionally, whether the user pays or not. This goes to show that, unfortunately, when it comes to ransomware and other cyberattack technology, the only way to be safe is by employing preventative strategies.

Ransomware, What is WannaCry – How Can We Mitigate the Impact of Ransomware?

Ransomware, What is WannaCry – Keeping your device fully updated is an excellent starting point for increasing your overall security. However, an updated device is not necessarily a safe one. With the existence of zero-day exploits, even a fully updated device is still vulnerable to cyberattacks. In fact, the only completely safe way to avoid this nightmare scenario is to keep no meaningful data on your devices.

Fortunately, achieving this is a great deal easier than it sounds. By adopting an application and desktop delivery solution such as Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS), organizations can deliver centrally-hosted Windows applications and desktops to local devices without the necessity of having them installed locally.

Desktop and application delivery allows for the creation, modification, or deletion of images, and separates the environment from the physical device that accesses it. This means that in the case of an employee falling victim to a ransomware, phishing attack, or a worm working its way onto a computer through alternative means, the data will remain safely segregated on the server system.

Moreover, Parallels RAS protects an organization’s assets from data leakage and malicious activity. Highly granular access permission based on user, device, IP addresses, and location can be combined with SSL encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA) and smart card authentication. Read more.

Ransomware, What is WannaCry – Parallels RAS can help your organization by:

Try Parallels RAS for free for 30-days here.