"WannaCry" ransomware hits systems in Kerala, Kolkata

The ransomware worm that stopped car factories, hospitals, shops and schools over the weekend worldwide, with Asia having escaped the worst so far.

Four computers in a panchyat office in Kerala have been suspected to be hit by "WannaCry," the ransomware. The incident took place at Waynad in Kerala at a panchyat office. The police and the cyber team is on the spot trying to assess the situation. The ransomware also hit systems in Aruvappalam Panchayat in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. A similar incident was reported at West Midnapore also at the State Electricity Distribution Company. The hit was reported in four locations in Kolkata.

Oops, your files have been encrypted, the message on the system read. On the left hand corner of the screen the hacker asks for a payment in order to restore the system. It also says if the payments are not made, the files would be lost. Further there are instructions given on what happened to the system. Instructions on whether the files could be recovered and also how to make the payment too have been given on the screen.

A red-coloured critical alert has been issued in connection with the WannaCry attack that hit over 90,000 systems across 75 countries across the world including India. India's Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) said individuals or organisations are not encouraged to pay the ransom as this does not guarantee files will be released. Report such instances of fraud to CERT-In and law enforcement agencies," a statement read.

The ransomware worm that stopped car factories, hospitals, shops and schools over the weekend worldwide, with Asia having escaped the worst so far, could wreak fresh havoc on Monday when employees log back on, cyber security experts have warned. Microsoft released patches last month and on Friday to fix a vulnerability that allowed the worm to spread across networks.

OneIndia News