Cyberattacks: Who's To Blame?

The WannaCry worm is a timely reminder that we need to get to grips with ransomware and, crucially, know how it can be stopped.

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Last month, computer worm WannaCry garnered much attention as it rampaged around the digital world, crippling systems and leaving havoc wherever it landed. This particular worm falls under the category of “ransom ware”, wherein important documents on an affected system are made unreadable, usually through some method of encryption. Once files have been taken hostage, the software then displays a ransom message on screen, detailing the actions required to release its prisoner. In the case of WannaCry, the price of restoring access to documents ranged from $300 to $600, payable to an anonymous address using cryptocurrency Bitcoin.