WannaCry attack: What happened to my computer and how do I recover files?

WannaCry encrypts data files and ask users to pay a $300 ransom in bitcoins. The ransom note indicates the payment amount will be doubled after three days. If payment is not made after seven days, the encrypted files will be deleted. A look at how best one can protect oneself from ransomware:
 

• New ransomware variants appear on a regular basis. Always keep your security software up-to-date to protect yourself against them
• Keep your OS and other software updated. Software updates will frequently include patches for newly discovered security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by ransomware attacker
•  Email is one of the main infection methods. Be wary of unexpected emails, especially if they contain links and/or attachments
• Be extremely wary of any Microsoft Office email attachment that advises you to enable macros to view its content. Unless you are absolutely sure that this is a genuine email from a trusted source, do not enable macros; immediately delete the email instead
•  Backing up important data is the single-most effective way of combating ransomware infections. Attackers have leverage over their victims by encrypting valuable files and leaving them inaccessible.
•  Using cloud services could help mitigate ransomware infections, since many retain previous versions of files, allowing you to ‘roll back’ to the unencrypted form

 

            Source: www.symantec.com