One weekend in May 2017, hospitals in the UK, Spanish telecom offices, and Russian banks were all hit by the exact same malicious code.
🏛️ Must Know
What WannaCry, Petya, and EternalBlue Actually Are
- All Related to Cyber Attacks WannaCry, Petya, and EternalBlue are all terms related to cyber attacks.
- Not Exoplanets or Cryptocurrency None of them refer to exoplanets or cryptocurrency, two entirely unrelated fields.
- Not Mini Satellites They also have nothing to do with mini satellites, another unrelated space-technology topic.
Good to Know
📘 Good to Know
How These Three Terms Actually Connect
- EternalBlue Was the Exploit EternalBlue is a Windows vulnerability exploit, originally developed by the US National Security Agency and later leaked publicly.
- WannaCry Used It to Spread The WannaCry ransomware attack in May 2017 used the EternalBlue exploit to spread rapidly across networks worldwide.
- Petya Followed a Month Later The Petya (and NotPetya) ransomware attack in June 2017 also exploited EternalBlue, hitting Ukraine especially hard.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2018 — What WannaCry, Petya, and EternalBlue Are
- UPSC 2018 WannaCry, Petya, and EternalBlue are all terms related to cyber attacks, not exoplanets, cryptocurrency, or mini satellites. See UPSC CSP 2018 GS Paper I, Q58. View this question.
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Great to Know
🌟 Great to Know
Why WannaCry Spread So Fast
- Hit Over 150 Countries WannaCry spread to over 150 countries within days, hitting hospitals, telecoms, and railways alike.
- Demanded Bitcoin Ransom The ransomware encrypted victims’ files and demanded payment in Bitcoin to unlock them.
- Connects to Other PYQ Facts This same exploit-based-attack pattern also underlies UPSC questions on India’s own mandatory cyber incident reporting rules.
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