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.
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