13 May 2017
WannaCry Ransomware used in large scale international attacks
What's happening
Systems affected
Earlier today a massive international ransomware campaign hit computer systems of private companies and public
organisations around the world. This incident is being reported as the largest ransomware campaign to date. The
Ransomware in question has been identified as a variant of ransomware known as WannaCry (also known as 'Wana Decrypt0r,'
'WannaCryptor' or 'WCRY'), because the encrypted files extension is .wcry. Like other ransomware, WannaCry also blocks
access to a computer or its files and demands money to unlock it. Early reports were that the ransom demanded was around
$430NZD, though this has allegedly doubled over the past few hours.
We’re learning more about this particular attack as it unfolds. At this point, CERT NZ understands that the initial
attack vector is likely a phishing email with either a malicious attachment or link. The exploit penetrates into
machines running unpatched versions of Windows (XP through 2008 R2) by exploiting flaws in Microsoft Windows SMB Server.
Once a single computer in a network is infected with WannaCry, the program looks for other vulnerable computers on the
network and infects them as well.
This ransomware exploits a Windows vulnerability known as EternalBlue, which was released by the Shadow Brokers hacking group over a month ago. Microsoft released a patch for the vulnerability in March (MS17-010).
What to do
Prevention
The information we have shows that this ransomware's initial infection is spread through emails. There is conflicting
information about the details and attributes of the initial emails however they are reported to contain either links or
attachments. Be careful when opening emails and clicking on links – read our phishing information to know what to look
out for. These emails could be from anyone, including an email address you’re familiar with.
Make sure you have backed up your system and files stored securely, off-network.
Make sure you have patched your system. Organisations using any Windows system between XP to 2008 R2 should ensure that
mitigations are in place, particularly the MS17-010 Microsoft patch. If you’re not patched, consider disabling SMBv1
(this will stop some file sharing). There is no patch available for XP & 2003, these OS’s need to be either turned off or have SMBv1 disabled.
It is also important to ensure that staff are aware of this campaign, and reminded to be extremely vigilant with
incoming emails containing links and attachments.
More information
The details on this release are relatively new and more information is coming to light constantly. For organisations
that require further support or more specified advice, please log an incident on our website at cert.govt.nz. Similarly,
if you have been compromised with this ransomware, please contact CERT NZ.