WannaCry ransomware: Free music, gaming sites risky

HYDERABAD: The

WannaCry ransomware scare

has prompted companies to issue strict advisories to its employees to not access any gaming websites or those offering free music downloads and even unsecured e-commerce sites. The

advisory

is not just for official systems but also personal devices and emails.

Most companies have asked employees to back up critical data, especially client data, and to avoid clicking on any links from unsolicited e-mails. As retrieving data compromised by ransomware is next to impossible, backing up data is the best bet. “Don’t open attachments in unsolicited e-mails, even if they come from people in your contact list, and never click on a URL in an unsolicited e-mail, even if the link seems benign,” read one such advisory.

“We are educating young users to not open any zip files received through emails and inform the IT teams of suspicious emails. We have also advised them to not access gaming and e-commerce websites that do not have strong security measures (https),” said Praveen Ghanwar, director, Vividha IT solutions.