Many people will have read about the computer virus called ‘WannaCry’ that is circulating internationally. It is a ransomware attack targeting the Microsoft Windows operating system. On Friday, 12 May 2017, a large cyber-attack was launched using it, infecting more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries.

The EMO is advising residents to take the following precautions

Home users and small businesses can take the following steps to protect themselves:

• Please be actively suspicious of unsolicited emails with attachments & links. Below are some suggestions for identifying suspicious emails.
• In all cases immediately delete suspicious email.

o   Email from someone you don’t know.

o   Emails with links that take you to a website with which you have no affiliation.

o   Emails that do not address you by your name.

o   Email from someone you know but that don’t “sound” like they wrote them.

• Run Windows Update and configure for auto-update for future patches
• Make sure your antivirus product is up to date and run a scan – if you don’t have one then install one of the free trial versions from a reputable vendor
• If you have not done so before, this is a good time to think about backing important data up – you can’t be held to ransom if you’ve got the data somewhere else. We recommend that you don’t store backups on the same computer, or any other device within your home network. Home users should consider using cloud services  to back up their important files. Many service providers (for example, email providers) offer a small amount of cloud storage space for free