How to Prevent WannaCry-Like Ransomware Attacks

What is WannaCry ransomware?

One of the most notable cyberattacks in history is the WannaCry ransomware attack discovered in 2017. While the first outbreak was contained, it does highlight the importance of cybersecurity, regular software updates, and data backups.

WannaCry is a ransomware that encrypts files on infected Windows computers and demands a ransom payment in Bitcoin to restore access. The malware spread mostly by exploiting a vulnerability in older versions of Windows operating systems, infecting businesses, government agencies, hospitals, and individual users worldwide. Understanding WannaCry’s propagation and following cybersecurity best practices can help reduce the chances of similar ransomware attacks in the future.

The following sections explain how the original WannaCry outbreak unfolded and the security lessons that are still relevant today.

WannaCry at a Glance

Here are some quick facts about the WannaCry ransomware attack:

The WannaCry attacks were discovered and soon led to mass panic. A major ransomware attack that infected two hundred thousand computer systems worldwide was briefly stopped by a British researcher who registered a confusing domain name.

Soon after, variants of WannaCry appeared that were not stopped by the original fix. This attack has a massive impact. It targeted computer systems in more than 150 countries – from police departments in India and universities in China to the UK’s National Health Service and Telefónica in Spain.

WannaCry hackers demanded that businesses and individual users with infected computers pay $200-$600 (about ₹13,000 to ₹38,000) in Bitcoin or they would delete their data. Even after patching and updating their systems, some users and IT departments still have issues.

There is a lot you can do to protect yourself against future attacks. Here are some basic tips to help you protect yourself against ransomware attacks:

Avoid Opening Untrusted Files and Email Attachments

WannaCry is a PC worm. Most PC worms spread when unsuspecting users open up files that they are not familiar with. The files are often distributed as email attachments or via suspicious URLs that masquerade as safe links.

If you get an email from someone you don’t know or an executable file you don’t trust, don’t click on it. Move it to your Junk or Spam folder, delete the file, and then empty the recycle bin. Operating systems like Windows have a feature known as User Account Control (UAC) that stops malicious programs like ransomware from getting full access.

If a UAC permission request comes from an unknown app, don’t allow it. An untrusted application can be safely run in a virtual environment. In this environment, the application will not have access to any other files on your computer.

This is a technique that security researchers use to study malware, but don’t try this unless you know what you’re doing.

Avoid Using Outdated or Pirated Operating Systems

One of the reasons that WannaCry was so successful was because many organizations, businesses, and government departments were running old or unsupported versions of Windows, mainly Windows XP, because they had not invested in IT. Ransomware such as WannaCry works by exploiting vulnerabilities in your system. When Microsoft dropped support for Windows XP in 2014, thousands of computers were vulnerable.

Countries like India, China, and Russia have a strong culture of software piracy, where businesses and even government offices have used pirated copies of Windows that do not get necessary security updates.

Windows XP is quite old now (it was released in 2001), and users have a certain amount of responsibility for security. Departments around the world are scrambling to fix things, and they need to be pushing their teams to either pony up for extended support with Microsoft or upgrade from older systems to newer ones in order to stop the spread of ransomware like WannaCry.

For individuals, it’s clearly simpler. First, if you are on an old Windows computer and have not gotten infected yet, install Microsoft’s emergency patch called MS17-010. Then, in the future, use genuine supported Windows versions since you will not be getting updates otherwise. It is important to have an up-to-date Windows operating system, specifically Windows 7, 8.1, or 10. If you cannot afford it, then switch to Linux.

Keep Automatic Updates Enabled

However, having up-to-date Windows is not enough. In the case of WannaCry, only those with up-to-date systems (both software updates of the year 2017 and the latest Windows Defender virus definitions) were safe from the ransomware. This illustrates the importance of updates and how critical it is to stay updated.

Here is how you make sure that updates will be installed automatically on supported Windows. You will not see some of the steps below if you are not an administrator.

Note: These update instructions apply to users and organizations that still use legacy Windows operating systems. If you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, just install the latest security updates through Settings > Windows Update.

On Windows 7 –

1. Click on Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update.
2. To the left, click on Change settings.
3. Under Important updates, make sure Install updates automatically (recommended) is selected.
4. Tick all the boxes on the screen, then click OK.

On Windows 8.1 –

1. Press Win key + X, then click on Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security > Windows Update.
3. To the left, click on Change settings.
4. Under Important updates, make sure Install updates automatically (recommended) is selected.
5. Tick all the boxes on the screen, then click OK.

On Windows 10 –

1. Click on the Start key, and then click on the Settings icon on the Start menu.
2. Click on Update & Security, then click on Windows Update from the menu on the left side.
3. Then click on “Advanced options” from the right-side menu.
4. Under Choose when updates are installed, make sure Current Branch and both values of feature and quality updates are set to 0.
5. Tick the first two boxes.

Editor’s Note (2026): Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are discontinued versions of Microsoft Windows. Regular security updates will not be available for them any longer.

Note: Despite the fact that the initial attack was aimed at the old versions of Windows, the regular updates of Windows 10 and Windows 11 will remain necessary in order to protect from potential threats, including ransomware attacks.

Use Reliable Antivirus and Firewall Protection

The world-wide popularity of Windows makes the attackers develop their code under the default Windows firewall and Windows Defender. Both are pretty decent, but there are better options to choose from.

Investment in quality firewall and antivirus software—especially the best ones—is one of the ways to improve the protection level. Such products are usually presented as internet security suites, but it is much better to purchase separate software of the highest rating.

We have an extensive list of antivirus software—paid and free—and several recommended firewalls, including Comodo, Kaspersky, and ZoneAlarm.

Most of the antivirus and firewall programs have some additional features, such as website filtering (to inform about the potential threat from the site you are trying to visit), network scanning (to make sure there are no vulnerabilities in your router and network protocol), and software updates.

Some also offer an integrated password manager, a solution for the usage of a personal virtual private network (VPN), and a more secure browser. In addition, some products can offer a sandbox feature, which will allow you to test the execution of a file in a virtual environment as described earlier. As for the performance concerns, almost all products feature a special “game mode.”

Back Up Your Important Data Regularly

Nevertheless, despite using all safety measures described above, your computer remains exposed to certain risks. In case you work with any sensitive information, remember to make backups. Try to have several backups.

So that in case of emergency, you won’t be in panic because of losing your information. The only requirement regarding backups is that they should always be kept on a different hard drive than your main PC.

In order to do that, you can use just an external hard drive, a NAS drive with RAID capabilities (provides a second backup option), or use a subscription cloud service that automatically performs backups of all your important information.

The ideal strategy would be to use the 3-2-1 approach, meaning that three copies of your data should be stored in two types of storage media, with at least one backup kept at another location or in a secure cloud.

Final Thoughts

Despite the fact that the first outbreak of WannaCry took place back in 2017, ransomware continues to be among the biggest cybersecurity threats for companies and private users around the world. The simple steps of keeping your OS updated, not opening unknown emails, having efficient antivirus software installed, and regularly backing up your data can significantly decrease the chances of infection.

Being aware of new threats and adhering to security principles is the only way to prevent ransomware attacks in the future.

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