Windows 10 to Get Built-in Protection Against Most Ransomware Attacks

 Ransomware Everywhere Not a Single Place to Hide!

But, Microsoft has a simple solution to this problem to protect millions of its users against most ransomware attacks.
Microsoft had update for older versions about ransomware with Microsoft security patchs.

Two massive ransomware attacks — WannaCry and Petya (also known as NotPetya) — in a month have caused chaos and disruption worldwide, forcing hospitals, ATMs, shipping companies, governments, airports and car companies to shut down their operations.

Most ransomware in the market, including WannaCry and NotPetya, are specifically designed to target computers running Windows operating system, which is why Microsoft has been blamed for not putting proper defensive measures in place to prevent such threats.

But not now!

In the wake of recent devastating global ransomware outbreaks, Microsoft has finally realized that its Windows operating system is deadly vulnerable to ransomware and other emerging threats that specifically targets its platform.

To tackle this serious issue, the tech giant has introduced a new anti-ransomware feature in its latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build (16232) yesterday evening, along with several other security features.

Microsoft is planning to introduce these security features in Windows 10 Creator Update (also known as RedStone 3), which is expected to release sometime between September and October 2017.

The anti-ransomware feature, dubbed Controlled Folder Access, is part of Windows Defender that blocks unauthorized applications from making any modifications to your important files located in certain "protected" folders.

Applications on a whitelist can only access Protected folders. So you can add or remove the apps from the list. Certain applications will be whitelisted automatically, though the company doesn't specify which applications.


Once turned on, "Controlled folder access" will watch over files stored inside Protected folders and any attempt to access or modify a protected file by non-whitelisted apps will be blocked by Windows Defender, preventing most ransomware to encrypt your important files.

So, whenever an application tries to make changes to Protected files but is blacklisted by the feature, you will get a notification about the attempt.

How to Enable Controlled Folder Access, Whitelist Apps and Add or Remove Protected Folders

Here's how to enable the Controlled folder access feature:

■Go to Start menu and Open the Windows Defender Security Center
■Go to the Virus & Threat Protection settings section
■Set the switch to On

Here's how to allow apps that you trust is being blocked by the Controlled folder access feature to access Protected folders:

Go to Start menu and Open the Windows Defender Security Center
■Go to the Virus & Threat Protection settings section
■Click 'Allow an app through Controlled folder access' in the Controlled folder access area
■Click 'Add an allowed app' and select the app you want to allow

Windows library folders like Documents, Pictures, Movies, and Desktop are designated as being compulsorily "protected" by default, which can not be removed.



However, users can add or remove their personal folders to the list of protected folders. Here's how to add folders to Protected folders list:

■Go to Start menu and Open the Windows Defender Security Center
■Go to the Virus & Threat Protection settings section
■Click 'Protected folders' in the Controlled folder access area
■Enter the full path of the folder you want to monitor

Users can also enter network shares and mapped drives, but environment variables and wildcards are not supported at this moment.

Other Security Feature Introduced in Windows 10 Insider Program
With the release of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16232, Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) for Edge — a new system for running Microsoft Edge in a special virtual machine in order to protect the OS from browser-based flaws — also received improvements in usability.

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build also comes with support for Microsoft Edge data persistence when using WDAG.
"Once enabled, data such as your favorites, cookies, and saved passwords will be 

Microsoft issues more security patches for older Windows, citing cyber attack risk

 In the wake of last month’s WannaCry malware outbreak, Microsoft has once again issued patches to programs it no longer supports, citing vulnerabilities in their code that could make them vulnerable to cyber attacks by nation-states or copycat organizations.

 The patches come a month after the company issued patches for Windows XP computers to protect against WannaCry, despite its long-standing stance against updating older and unsupported versions of its Windows operating system.

Microsoft "Due to the elevated risk for destructive cyber attacks at this time, we made the decision to take this action because applying these updates provides further protection against potential attacks with characteristics similar to WannaCrypt," wrote Adrienne Hall, general manager for Microsoft's cyber defense operations center. WannaCrypt is another name for the WannaCry ransomware.

 The patches hit, as they have since 2003, on the second Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. Pacific time, when Microsoft makes security and other fixes to its programs available for users who aren't signed up for automatic updates – what's known as "Patch Tuesday."

Up until now, only customers who paid hefty fees could continue to get any support for older programs such as WindowsXP and Windows 8.1.
 The release of the WannaCry malware, which seized files on hundreds of thousands of computers with demands for ransom, forced it to change its approach. The company made available patches that protected against WannaCry despite its long-standing stance against providing patches for unsupported programs.

 The decision to offer patches to long-gone programs such as Windows XP, Windows 8 and Server 2003 is a tough one for the company, said Stephen Kleynhans, a research vice president at Gartner who looks at the enterprise PC market.

 If the Redmond, Wash.-based company plays hardball and says it’s done with fixes and then something terrible happens, “they look like the bad guys. But if they do issue a fix, everybody who’s paying is mad at them,” he said.

What is Bitcoin and Bitcoin Mining? EXPLAIN

Bitcoin has been in news for past few days. One of the reasons is that, a few days ago, the WannaCry ransomware struck the world and made headlines. One aspect of this attack, however, was the demand by the attackers to be paid in Bitcoin rather than traditional currencies of Dollar, Pound or Euros.

What is bitcoin or Cryptocurrency?

 Bitcoin is a virtual currency of the Internet also called “cryptocurrency”. A person known only by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto introduced the world to Bitcoin back in 2009. His true identity still remains hidden though many websites have claimed to have identified him or rather found him, over past 8 years.

Bitcoins in simple terms are virtual coins that are transferred over the internet. A bitcoin like mentioned earlier, is a currency, meaning it has a foreign exchange value just as the Euro does against the US Dollar. However, the only difference is that dollars, pounds, and euros can be stored in your pant wallet while Bitcoin can only be saved online. The reason such cryptocurrencies are in demand is because of their ability to be transferred directly between individuals bypassing the banking system and thus making the sender and receiver of every bitcoin transaction nominally anonymous though he/she can be tracked through blockchain exchange.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that isn’t regulated by anybody leave alone any central bank. Therefore it has no interest rate, repo rate or any other rate that central bankers decide to levy on their respective currencies. It is a currency that is generated by painstaking mathematical computations and policed by millions of computer users called ‘miners’. Bitcoins are basically electricity, converted into a long string of code that has monetary value. The value of a single bitcoin also varies just as any other currency with it hitting a high of $1000 USD in 2015 – the same time when its popularity spread into mainstream conscience and it has dipped significantly since before rebounding again in 2016 and now touching lifetime highs of $2500 per bitcoin

 Bitcoin Mining

 Now that we understand what a bitcoin is, the next thing is to understand how is it generated. One way to get bitcoins is to buy one through many of the online Bitcoin exchanges. You will need to have a bitcoin wallet installed on one your devices or use an online wallet by one of many service providers and then one can send and receive bitcoins just as one would emails. Bitcoin is underpinned by a peer-to-peer computer network made up of its users’ machines, similar to the networks that underpin BitTorrent, a file-sharing system. Bitcoins are mathematically generated as computers in this network carry out complex number-crunching tasks – a procedure termed bitcoin mining.

 Bitcoin mining is a serious business with many tech companies manufacturing special computers called ASIC computers. These ASIC computers cost lots of moolah and are capable of doing the painstaking calculations for bitcoin mining. bitcoin mining.

Once you have installed a Bitcoin wallet, you will receive an encrypted address with the ability to generate more whenever needed. This address can then be shared with anyone from whom you wish to receive payment in the form of bitcoins. This system is secured by a concept called blockchain. Workers or miners are paid freshly created bitcoins for verifying Bitcoin transactions.
The mathematics of the bitcoin system was created in such a way that there is an upper limit to the number of bitcoins that can be mined. The ceiling is said to be around 21 million. The mining of bitcoins gets tougher and tougher the closer we get to the ceiling. Being unable to be regulated by any agency, Bitcoin also has the added advantage of not having it value diluted because a government somewhere decided to jump onto the bandwagon and release bitcoins of its own.

 If you did not buy bitcoins when they were available for $7-25 a piece, you probably missed the bus but you can always buy them now with a hope of a single bitcoin touching $10000 as predicted by many bitcoin aficionados.

WannaCry Ransomware: Are Smartphones Safe? Is the Danger Still Looming?

Last week, one of the largest cyber security attacks of recent times affected over 300,000 Windows systems worldwide with WannaCry or WannaCrypt ransomware — a malware which exploits a Windows bug and gains access to the system, locking the crucial files.

WannaCry is Unlikely to Affect Updated Smartphones

There has been increasing fear that Android devices might also be affected by the WannaCry ransomware which is spreading like wildfire but luckily, for now, the malware is only hitting systems on a server and are targeted towards organisations which are more likely to pay than individuals. But nothing can be said for sure regarding the attacker’s intentions, they can choose to target smartphones at any time too. The good news is Google releases security updates for Android devices almost every month — although in certain countries the carriers are responsible for rolling these over to their customers. Even devices running on older Android OS like Kitkat or Marshmallow receive security updates, even if they’re unable to use new features like Google Assistant. Google fixes any new found security vulnerability via these updates and if your device has the latest security update from Google, there is nothing to worry about. Even though Google tries to send updates for most of the Android-powered devices, reportedly , over 100 million devices are still running on outdated security software and can be vulnerable to ransomware attacks.

Precautions to Prevent Ransomware Attack

 For the most part of it, Google’s security updates keep your Android devices safe from ransomware and many other kinds of threats but being a bit extra vigilant to keep your device and the data that it holds safe doesn’t really harm.

* Download apps only from trustworthy sources like Google Play store. Many websites which let you download paid apps for free usually supply you with apps containing some kind of adware or malware.
*Ensure that Google’s security system — Verify Apps — which analyses an app before it’s installed onto your device for potential threats is activated. Go to your device settings, find ‘Google’ under Personal or Accounts, tap on ‘Security’ and then ‘Verify Apps’. Activate ‘Scan device for security threats’.
*Check your Android Security updates . Make sure that you’ve the latest security update in order to ensure optimum protection.
*Back up your device either on your computer, a cloud-based service or a portable USB disk. This will ensure that even if you have to reset your device to get rid of the ransomware, you don’t lose any data. This is also useful in case the attacker threatens to delete your data if ransom demands aren’t met.
*Always take some time out to check out the app’s rating and read few reviews before you download and install any app on your device — this also helps in establishing the legitimacy of the app and protect you against dummy apps which try to impersonate the original ones

There are a healthy number of websites and security firms that are trying to inform people regarding the threats of malware and also supplying them with tools to prevent it as well as decrypt the information that has been locked by an attacker

How to protect yourself from ransomware

The cyber attack that wreaked havoc across the NHS over the weekend, leading to patients being turned away from A&E and some operations being cancelled, has continued to spread.
By Monday afternoon, it the ransomware had targeted around 200,000 organisations in 150 countries.
 The "WannaCry" ransomware appears to have used a flaw in Microsoft's software, discovered by the National Security Agency and leaked by hackers, to spread rapidly across networks locking away files.

The attackers download malicious software onto a device and then use it to encrypt the victim's information. They threaten to block access to the files until a ransom is paid. It is common for criminals to ask for a fee between 0.3 and 1 Bitcoins (£400 - 1,375). Such attacks are mostly waged against businesses, but can also affect individuals.

 Here are some ways to protect yourself from ransomware .


Back up your files

 The greatest damage people suffer from a ransomware attack is the loss of files, including pictures and documents.
 The best protection against ransomware is to back up all of the information and files on your devices in a completely separate system. A good place to do this is on an external hard drive that isn't connected to the internet. This means that if you suffer an attack you won't lose any information to the hackers.Businesses often save copies of their data to external servers that won't be affected if their main network is attacked.

Be suspicious of emails, websites and apps 

For ransomware to work hackers need to download malicious software onto a victims computer. This is then used to launch the attack and encrypt files.
 The most common ways for the software to be installed on a victim's device is through phishing emails, malicious adverts on websites, and questionable apps and programs.
People should always exercise caution when opening unsolicited emails or visiting websites they are unfamiliar with. Never download an app that hasn't been verified by an official store, and read reviews before installing programs.

Use an antivirus program

An age-old computer security tip, antivirus programs can stop ransomware from being downloaded onto computers and can find it when it is.
Most antivirus programs can scan files to see if they might contain ransomware before downloading them. They can block secret installations from malicious adverts when you're browsing the web, and look for malware that may already be on a computer or device.

 Always install updates

 Companies often release software updates to fix vulnerabilities that can be exploited to install ransomware. It is therefore advisable to always download the newest version of a software as soon as it is available.

Never pay the ransom

 Victims of ransomware attacks are advised to never pay the fee as it encourages attackers and may not result in files being recovered. There are some programs that can help decrypt files. Or, if you have a back up, you can restore your device from that.