As most PCs in Myanmar are running older version of MS Window such as Window 7, Window XP, etc it is vulnerable to the latest ransomware.
This is the content of the presentation that I gave to my staff at this morning on how to protect our company’s PCs from ransomware. I hope you find it useful.
To download the PDF version of the this document click here
- Protecting the Data on your PC from ransomware
- This is a community service by Consult-Myanmar Co Ltd
- Biggest ransomware attack in history
- Wanna Crypt aka WannaCry Ramsonware – it will lock up your hard-disk
- and ask you to pay for ≥USD 300 to get access to your data again
- What we know about the ransomware Wannacry?
- Only attack PC running older version of Window (Window 7, Window XP, etc) which means most Myanmar PCs are vulnerable as most people use bootleg version of MS Office.
- Spread via email through attachments that looks like PDF, image files or possibility files that look like MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint files
- Once it is downloaded into victim’s computer it will scan for computers that are linked via Ethernet or wifi network and infect them as well.
- Lock up the hard drive of the victim and ask for at least USD 300 payment via Bitcoin {Comment: Most Myanmar people don’t have international credit card or PayPal account and will not be able to pay online. So they will not be able to pay the ransom on time}.
- Even if you pay the ransom there is no guarantee that the data can be recovered or that the ransomware has been removed from your PC.
- If you have paid the ransom – the virus maker will be incentivized to make you pay again as you are a “good” customer who pays on time and on demand!
- After the virus has been removed – most likely the victim’s hard disk has to be reformatted i.e. all data will be lost.
- How to protect ourselves?
- Backup all you important files every week
- Do not allow employees to access their personal email address on company’s PC, eg
- Do not access your Facebook account on company’s PC. {Comment: To Myanmar people – Facebook is equivalent to the internet and they spend hours on it each day sharing gossips and images. This will probably be the way the virus spread in Myanmar}.
- If you receive an email on the company’s email from people that you are not expecting and it comes with a PDF, Image file or Word, Excel or PowerPoint files.
- DO NOT CLICK ON IT!
- If you know the person – write or call the person and ask if his/her email or PC been hacked? Delete the email straight away. If you mark it as spam – then in future this person’s email will automatically go to the spam folder.
- If you do not know the person just mark the email as spam
- Update the Anti-Virus (AV) virus signature file on your Window PC.
- Do a full scan of your PC after the AV virus signature file has been updated
- Get supervisor to check all PCs at 4pm today to check that the above is done.
- Disconnect your Backup Hard Disk from your PC after the backup is done and do not leave it connected to the PC.
- How to remove if your PC has been infected?
- Just Google for “wannacry ransomware how to remove?”
Take note that we are not an expert on removal of ransomware so don’t call our company’s mainline to ask.
Regards,
Andrew Tan
