Software to eliminate WannaCry available for free
Three French cybersecurity specialists have created a solution to decrypt files affected by malicious software that has spread all over the world.
If you suspect that your computer has been attacked by WannaCry - the global computer virus that started mass-propagating last week and blocks access to files - do not press the restart button. There is already a "cure" to retrieve the information on an infected computer but only works on devices that have not been turned off. The solution, called WanaKiwi, instead of trying to find the key that allows decrypting files, searches the memory of the infected computer for the prime numbers that were used by the attacker's software to create that key. With this information, you can unlock access to files on your computer.
WanaKiwi is available for download for free, and the latest version automatically searches for the folder containing infected (.pkx) files. It also prevents WannaCry from continuing to encrypt files. However, the solution arrives almost a week after the initial virus outbreak, that is, near the time limit for the first infected users to pay the ransom (the attackers give a limit of seven days to receive a transfer in bitcoins, or erase the Files).
Many affected people will already have switched off and on the devices, in particular to stop the spread to other computers. But in the process of rebooting, the prime numbers used to create the encryption keys can be erased from the computer's memory.
The solution was developed thanks to the joint efforts of a French trio in the field of cybersecurity which includes a hacker, a cyber security specialist, and the Bank of France security project manager, they put together several projects that were being developed individually (one of which are called WannaKey) to create the final software that solves the problem.
The "cure" discovered Thursday by the trio of French professionals works on computers that have versions XP, 2003 or 7 of the Microsoft Windows operating system installed, but one of those in charge believes that it should also be compatible with other versions.
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