New
#61
Guys, what are the precautionary steps to prevent this from happening? Is there any kind of solution available if someone gets infected. Just asking out curiosity.
Precautions are...
- backup your system and data. this is quick, cheap and automated (Macrium reflect is free for home use)
- save your backups off line
- update your system (vulnerability is patched by April updates),
- if you are behind router, direct attack is less probable - it is local network attack...
- don't click on any attachments in mail
- disable remote access on your computer
There is a lot of security guides out there
For now there are no solutions yet (if your files get encrypted and you don't have backup)
Thanks a ton! Will definitely spread the word.
I don't think its short lived with the range it has spread to. A normal user in Pakistan atleast is not safe because they rarely make backups over here.
MS have issued patches for these vulnerabilities (well, most of them, not all of them), and the first step is make sure your system has all available Windows Updates installed.
Microsoft says users are protected from alleged NSA malware
The next thing is to make proper backups, as Andre suggests. A lot of us here use Macrium Reflect Free to make images (or snapshots) of the hard drive. That way, if you do become infected, you can re-image the drive using one of the previous Macrium images before the infection and be back up and running quickly and painlessly.
Last edited by simrick; 12 May 2017 at 21:02.
You'll have it behind a router, yes? So that will help.
Just take it online and run the Windows Update until it's completely updated. Don't go surfing the web until that's finished. Decide on your anti-virus and anti-malware, and get that next. Then, install a safe browser, (like Firefox), and add HTTPS Everywhere, No-Script Lite, and (another extension that will remain unnamed due to forum policy) extensions. Don't install Flash or Java. Then, make your images using Macrium Reflect Free (or another similar program). Keep the external drive with the images disconnected from the system until you need to make a backup - you don't want your images being encrypted if you get hit with ransomware.