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Read to know why adopting free software can stop WannaCry like cyber-attacks in the future.

The world is still under the shock from the recent WannaCry attack. Though experts claim the situation is under control, they don't rule out the possibilities of more such attacks in the coming days. As per reports, WannaCry ransomware (a type of malware) affected approximately 230,000 computers in 150 countries, bringing regular operations to a halt in many places. The most affected are America shipping companies and healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. The impact of this attack is comparatively low in India.

Want to keep your computers safe? Experts suggest adopting free software

Ransomware is a malware (or a malicious programme) which encrypts files in computers or smartphones and makes them unusable and demand money for decrypting the files. In the recent attack, which is considered one of the massive ransomware attacks, crackers were demanding $300 to $500 bitcoin for decrypting the file.

WannaCry is the name of the ransomware that targets the Microsoft Windows operating system. This malware was used to launch the WannaCry ransomware attack on May 12. Sometimes it uses different names like WannaCrypt, WannaCry, WanaCrypt0r, WCrypt and WCRY, to name a few.

Crackers used the loophole present in Microsoft SMB Protocol to spread this program to other computers. All machine running the version of Windows operating system before windows 10 without MS17 -010 security patch are prone to this ransomware attack.

Fixing a problem permanently lies on how better we understand the root cause of the problem. I don't think anyone can build completely foolproof programmes or an operating system that is not prone to any sort of such attacks.

But a programme and its source code under public scrutiny can identify the loopholes in the system and patch immediately before crackers exploit that vulnerability. This is the main reason all major malware attacks are mainly affecting proprietary software like Microsoft Windows operating systems.

When a user does not have any control over the programme that she is running, the program controls the user. That also makes it is easy for someone else to take complete control over that computer or smartphone. In the case of free software, user controls the program and the source code is open for everyone to access that in turns make free software very much secured compared to any other proprietary software.

Unlikely from the past, nowadays, free software operating systems (GNU/Linux ) are more user-friendly and easy to use. Ubuntu, Mint, Debian Fedora are widely used PC operating system with a greater community support. By taking a decision to migrate from proprietary operating system to a GNU/Linux operating systems, you are not only staying safe but also become part of culture and community who believe in sharing and collaborating.

The malware is spread on the network by leveraging the vulnerability in "Server Message Block" (SMB), a network protocol in the Windows Operating System. Last month it was revealed that the software "EternalBlue" developed by the American National Security Agency (NSA) and has used to leak personal information using this security vulnerability. WannaCry is believed to be using the same software. The unholy alliance between the American IT giants and the National Security Agency is no more a secret.

Edward Snowden, a national security contractor, was one of the first persons to disclose this illicit relationship between the NSA and American IT giants which revealed the massive surveillance programme targeting the citizens with the direct help of American IT giants.

Hence, any long-term solutions need to be discussed and developed outside the ambit of the unholy alliance between the NSA and IT giants, the free software way.

(The writer is a software engineer and a member of Free Software Movement Karnataka)

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WannaCry: Free software is the way forward - Oneindia

Hackers offering free anti-virus software to battle against the WannaCry infection say they have had thousands of downloads since releasing their work online.

One hacker who goes under the twitter name @HIBC2017 says he spent 36 hours designing an anti-virus programme that directly protects computers from the ransomware which has infected an estimated 200,000 systems worldwide since Friday.

"The problem with anti-virus software is that it can take you a while to get set up whereas, with the code I've designed, it can protect instantly," he told Sky News.

"I've put it online for free and made it so you just click on a few buttons."

"I've had more than 5,000 downloads so far which is brilliant but I'm just happy that I'm making people's lives easier."

Other so-called "white hat hackers" have also designed and released free anti-virus software to the masses to fight against the "black hat hackers".

The author of "Tearstopper" says their software has helped around 2,000 people protect themselves.

Microsoft also released a patch to help secure computers from the vulnerability that the WannaCry ransomware is taking advantage of, but thousands of users are clearly making use of the work of more amateur hackers, who often work in bedrooms just for fun and curiosity.

The coordinated attack on Friday hit the NHS and dozens of countries worldwide. It is believed to be the biggest attack of its kind.

Evidence suggests a group linked to North Korea was behind the hack, according to security experts.

It is widely known that 22-year-old UK security researcher, Marcus Hutchins, discovered a hidden "kill switch" which managed to slow the spread of the attack after discovering a weakness.

Other hackers have offered advice and collaborated on work to understand the virus.

Many hackers are apparently angry with this attack as it crossed a line by harming the work of doctors in the NHS.

Some hackers say they are now determined to help the authorities track down the culprits. "There's a lot of talent out there doing this around the clock," @HIBC2017 said.

"It's just a matter of time until they're caught and many people will be helping in any way they can."

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Hackers offer free anti-virus after ransomware cyberattack - Sky News - Sky News

Surprisingly good free video editing tools tried and tested. Which free video editing tool is best for UK users in 2017?

Making good-looking home videos is now easier and cheaper than ever thanks to the huge array of free video editing software. The range of high quality, free video editors available at the moment in simply amazing.

Whether you want to dabble in animation, add special effects like in Batman Vs Superman, or go for something simple but professional-looking there's a free video editor that's perfect for you.

Here, we've even included a few packages that have been used in Oscar-winning Hollywood movies, hit TV shows like Red Dwarf, and by NASA.

HitFilm 3 Express is an excellent choice for those looking to create professional level content, especially if you have a penchant for special effects.

Lightworks and DaVinci Resolve are geared towards the precise editing and cutting of clips and scenes that professional TV and movie editors require and are perfect for long and complex editing jobs.

If you want to try your hand at animation or 3D-modelling in your movies, then Blender is an incredibly powerful tool to use, although you will spend a fair amount of time learning the ropes.

For those with simpler demands though, you would do a lot worse than heading back to the old faithful of Windows Movie Maker. It's easy to use and has decent features for creating fun movies to share online with family and friends.

But of course since they're free, why not get them all?

Find out more about each of the video editors mentioned here and several more options below.

If you're looking for more serious video editing software, you might want to go for a paid option. The most popular include Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro.

HitFilm has been around since 2011 and in that time the software has gone from strength to strength - it is definitely one of the best free video editors around.

HitFilm 4 Express is the free version currently on offer, and includes a surprising amount of the features youll find in its big brother HitFilm Pro, albeit without the 300 price tag.

The interface is clean and makes sense without too much explanation, but if you do find yourself getting lost then the raft of tutorial videos on the HitFilm site will get you going once more.

While HitFilm 4 Express is a standard video editor, there is definitely a lean towards special effects, and the package includes 2D and 3D compositing capabilities, automatic motion-tracking, plus green screen removal tools.

Perhaps the most alluring part of the Express experience is the wide wealth of expansion packs that you can buy for between 8 and 20. These mean you can upgrade the software over time, adding only features that you actually need.

One particular favourite of ours was the Sci-Fi Adventure pack (20) that allows you to quickly add light sabers, laser bolts, and a number of other specialist effects for a low entry cost.

If thats not your bag then some of the others packs include lens flares, colour treatments, atmospheric lighting, and even classic film stock.

Get HitFilm4 Express here

Blender is a hugely powerful open source software suite primarily used for the creation of 3D modeling and animation.

In fact its so capable that its been used to create animations for the History Channel, TV adverts in a number of countries, special effects on series ten of Red Dwarf, and demonstration videos for NASA.

It was even found on the set of Spiderman 2, when animators put together special effect storyboards for the director Sam Raimi using the software.

So why is it included in this round up? Well, aside from the fact that you can create animated features or shorts on Blender, it also has a fully fledged video editor built-in.

Clips can be placed on a timeline, edited for length, overlapped with others, and joined with a range of transitions or fades, just like on any other package.

Various advanced features can also be accessed with a little effort, including 2D and 3D motion tracking, compositing of animated objects and real footage, plus even some nice camera correction tools that can deal with lens calibration and image stabilisation.

As Blender is an open source project the documentation can be a little random at times, but the healthy user forums mean that you can usually find the answer to your question without much difficulty.

You will of course have a fair few questions because there is simply so much you can do with this software. If Blender was on sale for a couple of hundred pounds it wouldnt look out of place. The fact that you get a package like this for free is.well, ridiculous.

Get Blender here

It's hard to believe that BlackMagic has made DaVinci Resolve Lite completely free.

It's widely used for colour correction in Hollywood movies because of its power. And yet, despite this being the Lite version, there are hardly any features missing compared to the Studio version which costs around 300.

Ok, so it can't do multi-camera editing, nor can it do 3D. You also lose some features such as noise removal, 4K mastering and HDR grading, but other than that, this is the same stuff the big boys use. This is definitely one of the best free video editors.

That's a bit of an issue when it comes to learning curves as this is not something you can pick up in an afternoon and end up with a masterpiece.

But it's worth investing time as you really can create one when you've learned how to use all that power.

Get BlackMagic DaVinci Resolve 12.5 Lite here.

There's also a Public Beta of version 14 available here.

Lightworks has been used to create Hollywood movies, including the recent The Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio.

There are free and Pro editions, but the main difference is the output formats and you are limited to 720p resolution.

You dont get project templates, scrolling titles and other fancy effects, and instead it focuses on providing precision tools and clip handling.

Videos are imported and organised into bins and racks, and rooms are created with editing layouts. Video clip handling is very database-like with multiple views, searching, sorting, tagging and so on.

Its designed to enable teams of editors using multiple workstations to create two-hour movies containing dozens of scenes and hundreds of clips. This would be impossible with the other video editors.

The editing tools are very powerful and they offer a fine degree of control that other video editors dont have.

Video and audio tracks, of which there can be many, can be independently edited, so you can cut a section of video from the middle of a scene leaving the audio and cut away to show something else, then return while the audio continues to play.

The flexibility you have when joining scenes is excellent and in and out points can be finely tuned directly in the timeline.

There is a limited range of special effects like transitions, but TV programmes and Hollywood movies rarely use anything other than fade from/to black.

Lightworks is aimed at professional video editors and it is fascinating to use a tool employed by Oscar-winning Hollywood movie editors. It doesnt do a lot, but what it does is brilliant.

Get Lightworks here

Of all the video editors on test, this one is the hardest to use and it is initially quite confusing. It has a lot of features, but their function is not always immediately obvious, but it is worth persevering because it is capable of some clever effects.

In VSDC you create a project and this has a number of scenes. Each scene has a number of objects and these can be video clips, photos and other items.

You can apply various effects to the objects in a scene and there are a lot of them to choose from.

The brightness, contrast, hue, saturation and other attributes can be adjusted, objects can be flipped, skewed, rotated and so on, there are fire, water and plasma effects, and several transitions.

Video clips can be trimmed and cut into smaller parts, and moved around. Then there is a whole series of audio effects too.

The editor's effects are numerous and flashy, but they lack the simplicity and precision of the pro editing features in Lightwave.

If you want to do things like picture-in-picture, add speech bubbles with text, overlay lines, rectangles, and ellipses, then VSDC is the tool for the job.

The range of output formats is excellent and there are presets for the PC, DVD, iPod, Xbox, Playstation, mobile phones and more.

Videos can be output to DVD, VCD, AVI and MPG too. It will even burn CDs and DVDs. VSDC has more features than any of the others and is worth considering.

Get VSDC Free Video Editor here

Avidemux is a specialised video editing tool and it is not a general movie maker.

Only one video clip at a time can be loaded and so it is not possible to create a movie by stitching together scenes from several sources, so it is best used as a tool to prepare clips for use by another movie editor.

After loading a video clip, the start and end can be trimmed by setting in and out markers. There is a preview window and a wheel control used for moving forward and back through the video and you can step through it frame by frame.

It is possible to add an extra audio track, such as music, to a video.

What Avidemux is best at is manipulating the output. There are eight categories of filter and numerous items in each category.

Among the options are add borders, add a logo with alpha blending, change the frame rate, crop, fade in and out, rotate, flip and resize.

You can adjust the brightness and contrast, hue and saturation, reduce noise, sharpen edges, and more.

If you had clips of different sizes and frame rates, as you might if you have used different digital cameras, camcorders and mobile phones over the years, Avidemux could be used to make them all the same size and frame rate before you use them in another video editor to make a movie.

There are some useful presets, such as DVD, 720p, PSP, SVCD and so on. Despite some useful features, this editor is of limited use though and error messages are frequent.

Get Avidemux here

YouTube Editor is a web-based video editor designed to allow you to manipulate videos intended for publishing via YouTube.

It doesn't have loads of features, but if you've got a simple video that you are planning to upload to YouTube it could be just what you need to add the finishing touches to it.

Get YouTube Editor here

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The best free video editing software of 2017 - PC Advisor

May 13, 2017 by Sylvia Hui And Jim Heintz An exterior view shows the main entrance of St Bartholomew's Hospital, in London, one of the hospitals whose computer systems were affected by a cyberattack, Friday, May 12, 2017. A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Teams of technicians worked "round the clock" Saturday to restore hospital computer systems in Britain and check bank or transport services in other nations after a global cyberattack hit dozens of countries and crippled the U.K.'s health system.

The worldwide attack was so unprecedented that Microsoft quickly changed its policy and announced that it will make security fixes available for free for older Windows systems, which are still used by millions of individuals and smaller businesses.

In Russia, where a wide array of systems came under attack, officials said services had been restored or the virus contained.

The extortion attack, which locked up computers and held users' files for ransom, is believed to be the biggest of its kind ever recorded, disrupting services in nations as diverse as the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Spain and India.

Europol, the European Union's police agency, said the onslaught was at "an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits."

The ransomware appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was purportedly identified by the U.S. National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.

Before Friday's attack, Microsoft had made fixes for older systems, such as 2001's Windows XP, available only to mostly larger organizations that paid extra for extended technical support. Microsoft says now it will make the fixes free for everyone.

It was not yet known who perpetrated Friday's attacks. Two security firmsKaspersky Lab and Avastsaid they had identified the malicious software behind the attack in over 70 countries, although both said the attack had hit Russia the hardest.

In Britain, the National Cyber Security Center said it is "working round the clock" with experts to restore vital health services.

British Home Secretary Amber Ruddwho was chairing a government emergency security meeting Saturday in response to the attacksaid 45 public health organizations were hit, though she stressed that no patient data had been stolen. The attack froze computers at hospitals across the country, with some canceling all routine procedures. Patients were asked not to go to hospitals unless it was an emergency and even some key services like chemotherapy were canceled.

Security officials in Britain urged organizations to protect themselves from ransomware by updating their security software fixes, running anti-virus software and backing up data elsewhere.

The Russian Interior Ministry, which runs the country's police, confirmed it was among those that fell victim to the ransomware, which typically flashes a message demanding a payment to release the user's own data.

Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk was quoted by the Interfax news agency Saturday as saying the problem had been "localized" and that no information was compromised. But the ministry's website still carried a banner on Saturday afternoon saying that technical work was continuing.

A spokesman for the Russian Health Ministry, Nikita Odintsov, said on Twitter that the cyberattacks on his ministry were "effectively repelled."

"When we say that the health ministry was attacked you should understand that it wasn't the main server, it was local computers ... actually nothing serious or deadly happened yet," German Klimenko, a presidential adviser, said on Russian state television.

Russian cellular phone operators Megafon and MTS said some of their computers were hit and the Russian national railway system said although it was attacked, rail operations were unaffected.

Russia's central bank said Saturday that no incidents had "compromising the data resources" of Russian banks, state news agency Tass reported.

French carmaker Renault's assembly plant in Slovenia halted production after it was targeted in the global cyberattack. Radio Slovenia said Saturday the Revoz factory in the southeastern town of Novo Mesto stopped working Friday evening to stop the malware from spreadingand was working with the central office in France to resolve the problem.

Krishna Chinthapalli, a doctor at Britain's National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery who wrote a paper on cybersecurity for the British Medical Journal, said many British hospitals still use Windows XP software, introduced in 2001.

Security experts said the attack appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly internally from computer to computer when employees share documents.

The security holes it exploits were disclosed several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious group that has published what it says are hacking tools used by the NSA. Shortly after that disclosure, Microsoft announced that it had already issued software "patches," or fixes, for those holesbut many users haven't yet installed the fixes or are using older versions of Windows.

In the U.S., FedEx Corp. reported that its Windows computers were "experiencing interference" from malware, but wouldn't say if it had been hit by ransomware.

Elsewhere in Europe, the attack hit companies including Spain's Telefonica, a global broadband and telecommunications company.

Germany's national railway said Saturday departure and arrival display screens at its train stations were affected, but there was no impact on actual train services. Deutsche Bahn said it deployed extra staff to busy stations to help customers, and recommended that they check its website or app for information on their connections.

Other European organizations hit by the massive cyberattack included soccer clubs in Norway and Sweden, with IF Odd, a 132-year-old Norwegian soccer club, saying its online ticketing facility was down.

Explore further: Nations battle cyberattack damages; UK focuses on hospitals

2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Teams of technicians worked "round the clock" Saturday to restore hospital computer systems in Britain and check transport services in other nations after a global cyberattack that hit dozens of countries crippled the U.K.'s ...

Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users' files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

Britain's National Cyber Security Center says teams are working "round the clock" to restore hospital computer systems after a global cyberattack that hit dozens of countries forced British hospitals to cancel and delay treatment ...

A huge range of organisations around the world have been affected by the WannaCry ransomware cyberattack, described by the EU's law enforcement agency as "unprecedented".

Russia's interior ministry said Friday that some of its computers had been hit by a "virus attack" amid reports of major cyber strikes across the globe.

A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away.

The cyberattack that spread malicious software around the world, shutting down networks at hospitals, banks and government agencies, was stemmed by a young British researcher and an inexpensive domain registration, with help ...

Teams of technicians worked "round the clock" Saturday to restore hospital computer systems in Britain and check bank or transport services in other nations after a global cyberattack hit dozens of countries and crippled ...

International investigators hunted Saturday for those behind an unprecedented cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies, as security experts sought to ...

A fast-moving wave of cyberattacks swept the globe Friday, apparently exploiting a flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency.

In just a few years, well-mannered self-driving robotaxis will share the roads with reckless, law-breaking human drivers. The prospect is causing migraines for the people developing the robotaxis.

Microsoft on Thursday debuted hardware for reaching into virtual worlds powered by its technology as it looked to "mixed reality" as the next big computing platform.

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More USA state-sponsored terrorism

You should be thanking us.

Frenemy - Wikipedia https://en.wikipe.../Frenemy "Frenemy" (less commonly spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy."

Do you think all his nasty work will go unanswered?

This is a frustrating situation because it's exactly what experts expected was going to happen. The NSA develops hacking weapons, they get leaked or stolen by criminal enterprises, and then get used to attack key infrastructure...

Hmm, yes and no. Shouldnt these government bodies be notifying the public about these vulnerabilities and telling to get patched ASAP as opposed to looking for exploits that they can use to their advantage that puts millions at risk at the same time?

I think the blame is being directed at the wrong groups here.

This entire incident is *exactly*what they were warned about. They demanded backdoors anyway. They have yet to prove conclusively that their backdoors had any positive impact on any intelligence gathering activity.

I hope other companies hotly refuse any such requests in the future. We've seen the end result now. To do anything but refuse to cooperate with the NSA on this is total madness.

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Huge cyberattack forces Microsoft to offer free tech fix - Phys.Org

For years, people have grumbled about the price of software. Adobe products have always been expensive, and many customers were agitated when the company shifted to Creative Cloud, which meant a monthly or annual subscription. Meanwhile, Microsoft Office is a staple for computers everywhere, but the price tag often irritates people who just want a decent word processor.

Luckily, there are lots of free substitutes, and there are plenty of reasons people may turn to them. Some folks just cant afford mainstream software. Others are starting new businesses and dont want to invest in expensive programs that they can essentially get for free. Still, others are trying out new media for the first time, such as digital photography, digital audio or video, and they want to learn the basics before buying expensive packages.

Whatever your reasons, youll find a wide range of software alternatives. In years past, alternative programs usually meant lousy. Youd end up with something buggy, watered-down, and incompatible with other services. Nowadays, thats no longer the case. Many programs aren't nearly as sophisticated as their expensive inspirations, and some users might argue that these offerings surpass them.

Heres a list of costly and popular programs and their many free alternatives.

Microsoft Office

For decades, Microsoft Office has dominated homes and businesses around the world. The Office suite has everything you need: a word processor, spreadsheets, presentations and email.

But many customers and college-bound students are surprised when their new Dell or HP doesnt have Office installed. Theyve already shelled out money for a new computer, and now they have to spend another $150 for the software to make it useful.

Thats where LibreOffice comes in. This free, open-source software has what Microsoft Office has, plus some perks, such as templates and extensions. The word processor, called Writer, can handle documents from Microsoft Word, and the rest of the LibreOffice suite can upload and modify files from their corresponding Office programs.

Click here to learn more about LibreOffice.

Microsoft Publisher, Adobe InDesign

If youre a professional designer, youve probably invested in heavy-hitting software like InDesign, because that has become the industry standard. But if youre good at making brochures or newsletters, and you dont want to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud, consider Scribus. The program gives you all kinds of easy-to-use design options, from business cards to magazines.

Click here to learn more about Scribus.

Microsoft Outlook

Outlook is very handy for electronic communication, and entire organizations turn to this program to support their email servers. But Mozillas Thunderbird is a free, powerful, lightweight email service that easily rivals its Microsoft counterpart.

Click here to learn more about Mozilla Thunderbird.

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