The terms ‘WannaCry, Petya and EternalBlue’ sometimes mentioned in the news recently are related to
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Cyber attacks
All three names belong to cyber attacks in 2017. WannaCry and Petya are ransomware, meaning malware that locks a victim's files, and EternalBlue is the Windows exploit through which they spread.
- ✓ (c) WannaCry encrypted files on infected Windows systems and spread through a Windows Server Message Block vulnerability, an exploit named EternalBlue. Variants of Petya ransomware later spread using the same exploit. India's CERT-In issued alerts for both in 2017.
- ✗ (b) These are malicious programs and an exploit, not digital currencies. CERT-In classifies WannaCry and Petya as ransomware.
- ✗ (a) Exoplanets are planets outside the Solar System and have no connection with these computer-security terms.
- ✗ (d) Mini satellites are small space vehicles. WannaCry, Petya and EternalBlue are software threats.
Remember · WannaCry and Petya = ransomware (2017). EternalBlue = the Windows SMB exploit that helped them spread. CERT-In is India's nodal agency for such alerts.
Sources
- Cyber Swachhta Kendra (CERT-In, MeitY): Wannacry/WannaCrypt Ransomware, critical alert ↗ “This ransomware spreads by using a vulnerability in implementations of Server Message Block (SMB) in Windows systems. This exploit is named as ETERNALBLUE.”
- Cyber Swachhta Kendra (CERT-In, MeitY): Variants of Petya Ransomware Spreading with EternalBlue ↗ “It has been reported that variants of Petya ransomware with worm-like capabilities is spreading.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·