To pay or not to pay the WannaCry ransom?
WannaCry has infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world in 150 countries. It is recommended that you update your Windows in order to ensure your protection.
However, if you end up receiving the ransomware, you should not pay it, according to BBC. For some people, £230 ($300) might not be the highest sum to get back important data that has been
For some people, £230 ($300) might not be the highest sum to get back important data that has been encrypted against your will.
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There is no reason to expect an honest transaction since you are dealing with criminals. Besides, people are unlikely to regain access to their files even if they pay, due to the way WannaCry was designed.
“A manual human operator must activate decryption,” Matthew Hickey, a cyber-security researcher at UK-based firm Hacker House, said.
Victims are expected to contact the criminals for a key to unlock their files, according to security expert Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey.
“I very much doubt anyone would return your contact request, bearing in mind the attention that is now on this,” he told the BBC.
“If anyone pays this ransom they are more than likely going to send Bitcoin that will sit in an address for ever more. No point.”
Once WannaCry is on your computer, it is best to assume that access to any files that were not backed up has been lost forever. However, it is possible to remove it once it is on your computer.
The process involves downloading some programs to clean your computer of the infection, according to Bleeping Computer.
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