If you don't Wannacry then update your stuff

[WoodiE]

In case you've missed it, there was a HUGE Ransomware attack, called Wannacry, last week that hit several countries, governments, company, and even personal computers.

• WannaCry Ransomware virus striking computer systems all over the world
• WannaCry Ransomware Attack Computers Worldwide, Using NSA Exploit Codenamed Eternalblue

There are several sites out there that suggest a few things to protect yourself but I'm going to make it super easy and give you one really good way to protect yourself with a bonus at the end.

1. Update your STUFF - Seriously! This attack is taking advantage of a found exploit that was patched two months ago by Microsoft for Windows 7. Microsoft has since released an out of bound patch for Windows XP and Server 2003 (both of which is LONG out of support and you shouldn't be running these anyways!) If you're running Windows 7 then you probably want to start thinking about upgrading to Windows 10 since it too will be out of support by 2020. Tick tock.
   
   So update your stuff. Keep Windows Updates automatic updates enabled. In addition, but somewhat unrelated, make sure you're keeping Java and Adobe Flash updated if you have them installed - it's best to uninstall them if you don't need them... and you probably don't.
2. Backup your STUFF - Bonus Tip!!! You should be backing up your files. Ransomware has only being getting better since it first started spreading a few years back and the amount of money these guys are making from it means it's not going away anytime soon - it's only going to get worse.
   
   Protect yourself with good backups. Preferably an off-site backup (I recommend using CrashPlan) and an on-site backup (such as a usb drive). You want something that's super easy to do and as automated as possible - otherwise you're more likely to forget. Crashplan is exactly that - easy and completely automated!

Stay safe out there!