Odisha police issues advisory on WannaCry Ransomware attack

The Crime Branch of the Odisha police today issued advisory to prevent 'WannaCry' Ransomware attack which has wreaked havoc across 150 countries.

The CID, CB of Odisha police in an advisory suggested, "Keep anti Ransomware and antivirus software up-to-date. Virus definitions must be updated to protect against the threat. Always keep real time protection and auto update feature in active mode to prevent attack."

It also suggested net users to keep systems updated. "If you are using Windows operating system, keep your system up to date or simply upgrade your system to the latest Windows version i.E. Windows 10," it said adding that If one is using Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 or 2008, apply the emergency patch released by Microsoft.
 

"Enable and configure Firewall: Enable firewall and if it is already there, modify your firewall configurations to block access to SMB ports over the network or the Internet," it said.

"Disable SMB service, Backup your data regularly: To always protect your important files and documents, keep in place a good backup routine that makes copies to an external storage device not always connected to your PC. This will protect your data," it said.

On email security, the CB advisory said always double check before downloading any document as attachment in email. Don't click on links inside those documents without verifying the source.