Gauge Newsletter September 2017 | Page 43

stop the spread of the ransomware. It was estimated that the losses due to WannaCry could be around hundreds of million dollars. LATEST TRENDS AND AFTERMATH OF WANNACRY Later, hackers have fixed the Achilles’ heel of the ran- somware and the updated version doesn’t contain a kill switch. Organizations have been urged to update their systems immediately to ensure that they are not affected by the ransomware. Furthermore, any systems affected by the WannaCry will have DoublePulsar; a backdoor tool, which is also released by the Shadow Brokers. WannaCry’s code can take advantage of any existing DoublePulsar infection, or installs DoublePulsar by itself. Therefore, DoublePulsar will need to be removed by using an anti-malware or anti-virus software. Also, it is possible to disable the SMB file protocol, which the worm within the malware was used to spread across the networks. Ironically, later in August, Marcus Hutchins (aka ‘MalwareTech’), who found the WannaCry’s kill switch, has been arrested and charged with creating a banking malware known as Kronos. Also, WannaCry’s effects have given rise to a dedicated Blockchain consortium for IoT security, based in London and India. It is apparent that the trends in ransomware business are ever-evolving. That is why it is always a good idea to pro- tect yourself against data loss with regular backups and frequent security updates. Kaushal Devin Amarasinghe, Third Year Department of Computer Engineering References 1. Alfred Ng. (2017) WannaCry ransomware loses its kill switch, so watch out. [Online] Accessed At: https:// www.cnet.com/ 2. Victoria Woollaston (2017) WannaCry ransomware: what is it and how to protect yourself. [Online] Accessed At: http:// www.wired.co.uk/ 3. Zammis Clark (2017) The worm that spreads WanaCrypt0r. [Online] Accessed At: https://blog. Gauge Magazine University of Peradeniya 43