Wanna Cry ransomeware Patches and updates!!!!

Tomorrow may be a very interesting day.

http://www.networkworld.com/article...h-old-pcs-now-to-avoid-becoming-a-victim.html


If you have not yet updated or patched your devices, you might consider doing so.
Variants will follow.
Infection attempts Fri, May 12,2017:


If you aren't backing up your data to a 2nd secure device or to the cloud, you need to be.

Doesn't look promising.

greybeard said:

Tomorrow may be a very interesting day.

http://www.networkworld.com/article...h-old-pcs-now-to-avoid-becoming-a-victim.html


If you have not yet updated or patched your devices, you might consider doing so.
Variants will follow.
Infection attempts Fri, May 12,2017:

If you aren't backing up your data to a 2nd secure device or to the cloud, you need to be.

Click to expand...

Ok, explain this in non Greek mode! What does using a patch mean? And does backing up your data mean haveing something other than firefox..like Chrome?? What is cloud?
Is this going to affect phones too?

From the little that i understand, patching means ensuring that your operating system and apps are up to date.

Backing up data, to me at least involves copying all essential data to a hard drive.

Clouds are virtual hard drives. You can store your files in a virtual "cloud". Not sure about how secure they are. I never use them personally.

I'd imagine it would affect any device that one uses for the internet, but I'm not sure.

Dozclan12 said:

Ok, explain this in non Greek mode! What does using a patch mean? And does backing up your data mean haveing something other than firefox..like Chrome?? What is cloud?
Is this going to affect phones too?

Click to expand...

Patch: When any software is written (think the computer code that makes Firefoox or even the software that makes BYH/BYC show up and work on your screen) it's not 'exact' science. It can and sometimes does have security flaws in it simply due to the billions of zeros and ones combinations in the code. When the company realizes there is a flaw, they fix it just like you fix a fence that allows predators in the chicken pen--they 'patch' the security fence.

Back up: When you first get a new computer or first instal an Operating System, you have the option of keeping a record of your data, including the Operating System data. Sometimes, the data is backed up on a special partition on your device's internal hard drive--sometimes the user chooses to back it up onto a separate and external drive. This allows you to recover any data (including pics of little fluffy) if something goes wrong.

Cloud: The cloud basically means your data, and even the workings of the device in front of you or in your hand is using storage, and even memory and cpu power of a computer (or set of computers) elsewhere, that actually belongs to someone else.. much like dumb computer terminals in remote offices did (or still do) that are all tied in to a mainframe computer somewhere in the bowels of the building--all the dozens or hundreds of terminals were on a local network.

Yes, it 'can' affect any device with an operating system, especially the more common operating systems like Windows, Android etc. A phone is just a small computer with voice capability.
However, it will (for now) mostly affect users of older Windows systems.

A security fix was released in March which resolved the problem for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016, which are still supported.

If you are running these versions and have not downloaded Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010, you should do so now manually, or allow Windows Update to do the work for you.

This is horrific - in England the medical care was totally disrupted.

The hackers have been getting smarter and greedier, and you can bet this will be an ongoing battle.

CTKen said:

Clouds are virtual hard drives. You can store your files in a virtual "cloud". Not sure about how secure they are. I never use them personally.

We use the cloud at work - I don't trust it, anything out there is open to whoever can bust in - and it is so much slower than using in-house servers.

I'd imagine it would affect any device that one uses for the internet, but I'm not sure.

Click to expand...

Likely only Microsoft and not Apples - at least for now.

These folks are demanding big bucks for ransom, doubt they intend to try to get pennies from individual users.

$300 appears to be the current asking price for decryption key. It doubles every few days, the longer one goes. As an individual, I would not pay it.