Yesterday, I shared a news article from the BBC about how this new ransomware was wreaking havoc across the globe. Big companies in America and Europe have been affected so far. The Petya ransomware like the WannaCry/WannaCrypt ransomware spreads through networks that use Microsoft Windows. They basically block access to your computer or files until you pay a ransom.

The Petya ransomware basically encrypts your files and demand a ransom for a digital key to unlock your files. It is even able to lock the Master File Table (MFT) of your hard disk drive and the Master Boot Record (MBR) of your Windows Operating System, thereby preventing your system from booting or starting. So, if you don’t have backup of your files and you fall victim, it means you either pay the ransom or say bye-bye to your files. So, the question is: what can I do to make sure my computer is protected against Petya? The good news is that if you follow any of these steps, you will be protected.

1. Make sure your Windows Operating System is up-to-date. Microsoft has released a patch, which is part of the latest updates, so once you install it, your machine is protected.

2. According to BleepingComputer, creating a read-only file and placing it in C:\Windows folder will protect you too. Alternatively, you can download a batch file from here and execute it on your machine for the read-only perfc file to be created.

Note: Step 2 only protects your machine, which means your machine can still serve as a gateway to affect others on the same network. It is therefore important to heed to point 1 as well as ensuring that your anti-virus is up-to-date.