About the Attack & Damages (Unit 1)
What is WannaCry?
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The WannaCry ransomware attack was a global epidemic that first appeared on 12 May 2017 that hit around 230,000 computers globally by taking advantage of outdated computer systems and people's lack of awareness for updated software with improved security.
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This attack denies the user’s excess to their own files unless they paid the threat attackers a given sum using cryptocurrency Bitcoin. It is said that some users may not ever back their files even after paying.
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Who was impacted?
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The WannaCry worm denied service to hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries, hitting factories, hospitals, shops, and schools worldwide. The rest of Asia had lower disruptions compared to Europe.
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According to an analysis by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian antivirus company, one of the first companies affected was the Spanish mobile company, Telefónica. By May 12th, thousands of NHS hospitals and surgeries across the UK were affected. Terrifyingly ambulances were reportedly rerouted, leaving people in need of urgent care in need. It was estimated to cost the NHS a whopping £92 million after 19,000 appointments were canceled due to the attack.
The four most affected countries were Russia, Ukraine, India, and Taiwan. This virus tried to infect more computers in Russia than anywhere else. Their interior ministry, railways, banks, and second-largest mobile phone operator, Megafon, were all threatened by the huge
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This figure shows a heatmap of the detections from an American software company, NortonLifeLock, formally known as Symantec.
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What was the total loss?
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On 15 May 2017 marks the end of the attack, It is estimated this cybercrime caused $4 billion in losses across the globe in just a span of 4 days! Ever since then, countries affected have sought to improve their prevention measures to avoid incurring such a major loss in the future. That will be covered in Unit 4.
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