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posted by n1 on Monday May 15 2017, @12:43AM   Printer-friendly
from the mouse-and-cat dept.

[Update at 20170515_022452 UTC: Instructions for what to do on each affected version of Windows can be found at: https://www.askwoody.com/2017/how-to-make-sure-you-wont-get-hit-by-wannacrywannacrypt/ -- I've had excellent luck in the past following his advice on when and how to update Windows. Clear, hands-on instructions are a big win in my book. --martyb]

Previously: "Biggest Ransomware Attack in History" Hits Around 100 Countries, Disrupts UK's NHS.

tl;dr: If you have not already patched your Windows computer(s), you may be at risk from a new variant of the WannaCrypt ransomware worm which lacks a kill switch and was seen over the weekend. Sysadmins are preparing for a busy Monday when countless other users return to work and boot up their PC.

WannaCrypt (aka WCry), is a ransomware worm that wreaked havoc across the internet this past weekend. It disabled Windows computers at hospitals, telecoms, FedEx, and banks (among many others). Files on user's machines were encrypted and the worm demanded $300 or $600 worth of Bitcoin to decrypt (depending on how quickly you responded). Reports first surfaced Friday night and were stopped only because a researcher discovered a domain name in the code, which when registered, caused the malware to stop infecting new machines.

We're not out of the woods on this one. Not surprisingly, a variant has been seen in the wild over the weekend which has removed the domain check. Just because you may not have been hit in the initial wave of attacks does not necessarily mean you are immune.

Back in March, Microsoft released updates to Windows to patch vaguely-described vulnerabilities. Approximately one month later, a dump of purported NSA (National Security Agency) hacking tools were posted to the web. The WannaCrypt ransomware appears to be based on one of those tools. Surprisingly, the Microsoft patches blocked the vulnerability that was employed by WannaCrypt.

In a surprising move, Microsoft has just released emergency patches for out-of-mainstream-support versions of Windows (XP, 8, and Server 2003) to address this vulnerability.

Sources: Our previous coverage linked above as well as reports from the BBC Ransomware cyber-attack threat escalating - Europol, Motherboard Round Two: WannaCrypt Ransomware That Struck the Globe Is Back, and Ars Technica WCry is so mean Microsoft issues patch for 3 unsupported Windows versions.

What actions, if any, have you taken to protect your Windows machine(s) from this threat? How up-to-date are your backups? Have you tested them? If you are a sysadmin, how concerned are you about what you will be facing at work on Monday?


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Monday May 15 2017, @01:18AM (5 children)

    by butthurt (6141) on Monday May 15 2017, @01:18AM (#509668) Journal

    Back in the days of Windows XP, it used to be possible to run Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, get from that a list of missing patches, then download and install them (most came in the form of self-installing executables) without running Windows Update.

    In November 2013 MBSA 2.3 was released. This release adds support for Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2. Windows 2000 will no longer be supported [...]

    -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Baseline_Security_Analyzer [wikipedia.org]

    Did you try WSUS Offline Update?

    Using WSUS Offline Update, you can update any computer running Microsoft Windows safely, quickly and without an Internet connection.

    -- http://www.wsusoffline.net/ [wsusoffline.net]

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  • (Score: 2) by acharax on Monday May 15 2017, @04:44AM (4 children)

    by acharax (4264) on Monday May 15 2017, @04:44AM (#509765)

    I second WSUS Offline. It might be a bit clunky but it works.

    • (Score: 1) by butthurt on Monday May 15 2017, @06:15AM

      by butthurt (6141) on Monday May 15 2017, @06:15AM (#509806) Journal

      Thanks for weighing in. I don't have any actual experience with that myself.

    • (Score: 2) by TheB on Monday May 15 2017, @11:50AM (2 children)

      by TheB (1538) on Monday May 15 2017, @11:50AM (#509948)

      After a failed update corrupted parts of my win 7 install, it was WSUS Offline that finally saved it.
      If anyone is having troubles with Windows Update they should definitely give WSUS Offline a try.
      Windows Update works again after WSUS fixed the system.

      • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday May 15 2017, @10:12PM (1 child)

        by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 15 2017, @10:12PM (#510252) Journal

        How did you get the files and bootmedia for WSUS if the system was corrupted?

        • (Score: 2) by TheB on Tuesday May 16 2017, @08:23PM

          by TheB (1538) on Tuesday May 16 2017, @08:23PM (#510725)

          The OS still ran.

          Windows Update had crashed the system during an update, leaving corrupted files in the WU cash, missing files in "C:\Windows\Servicing\", garbled DISM log, and left bugs in the registry.
          The system was otherwise stable.