Are you protected from WannaCrypt

What is WannaCrypt?

WannaCrypt is a ransomware program targeting Microsoft Windows. It is also known by the names WannaCry, WanaCrypt0r 2.0, Wanna Decryptor and other similar names. In May 2017, a large cyber-attack using it was launched, infecting hundereds of thousands of computers in multiple countries.

WannaCry is believed to use the EternalBlue exploit to attack computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems. Although a patch to remove the underlying vulnerability for supported systems had been issued on 14 March 2017, delays in applying security updates and lack of support by Microsoft of legacy versions of Windows left some users vulnerable. To deal with the unsupported Windows systems Microsoft has taken the unusual step of releasing updates for the unsupported Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 and patches for Windows 8 operating systems.

Tools for Detection and Removal

MALWAREBYTES

Malwarebytes is an anti-malware software for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Android OS that finds and removes malware. Made by Malwarebytes Corporation, it was first released in January 2006. it has become one of the de facto standards for quickly removing malware and spyware.

Spyhunter

SpyHunter is a powerful, highly effective malware remediation tool designed to assist the average computer user in detecting and removing malicious threats from their PC.

As malware continues to evolve and become more sophisticated to avoid detection by anti-spyware/anti-virus programs, SpyHunter responds with advanced technology to stay one step ahead of today’s malware threats. SpyHunter offers additional customization capabilities to ensure every user is able to custom tailor SpyHunter to fit their specific needs.

Is my computer  Patched?

If you are running a current version of Windows (Windows 8.1 or newer) you should run Windows Update to download all of the latest security patches. If you have not been keeping up with your Windows Updates, then you may have to run it multiple times to get your computer completely up-to-date. If you are running an older version of Windows, Microsoft has released a patch for the operating systems that have been deprecated. Please see the list below*.

  1. Click on the Start Menu
  2. Select “Run…”
  3. Type “cmd” (without quotes) and click “OK”
  4. In the cmd window type wmic qfe get hotfixid | find “KB4012598”
    If you nothing comes back then you do not have the patch installed.
    You can download it from Microsoft here.
  1. Click on the Start Menu
  2. Select “Run…”
  3. Type “cmd” (without quotes) and click “OK”
  4. In the cmd window type wmic qfe get hotfixid | find “KB4012598”
    If you nothing comes back then you do not have the patch installed.
    You can download it from Microsoft here.
  1. Click on the Start Menu
  2. Select “Run…”
  3. Type “cmd” (without quotes) and click “OK”
  4. In the cmd window type wmic qfe get hotfixid | find “KB4012598”
    If you nothing comes back then you do not have the patch installed.
    You can download it from Microsoft here.
  1. Hold down the Windows Key and Press “R”
  2. Type “cmd” (without quotes) and click “OK”
  3. In the cmd window type wmic qfe get hotfixid | find “KB4012598”
    If you nothing comes back then you do not have the patch installed.
    You can download it from Microsoft here.
  1. Hold down the Windows Key and Press “R”
  2. Type “cmd” (without quotes) and click “OK”
  3. In the cmd window type wmic qfe get hotfixid | find “KB4012598”
    If you nothing comes back then you do not have the patch installed.
    You can download it from Microsoft here.

Additional Information

 

*A special thank you to Tony Molloy of the UConn Library for finding the article with the download links to the older Microsoft Operating Systems.