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WannaCry Ransomware: Indians Report Spike in Cyber Attacks, Government Says Damage Contained

WannaCry Ransomware: Indians Report Spike in Cyber-Attacks, Government Says Damage Contained

By Reuters | Updated: 19 May 2017 10:03 IST

Highlights

Small Indian businesses and individuals report being hit by ransomware
CERT-In is carrying out "regular drills" to ensure minimum damage
Analysts warn a lot of ransomware attacks in India would go unreported

The number of computers reported infected by a global ransomware attack in India has more than doubled to around 193 on Thursday from a day ago, a central cybersecurity official said, adding that steps taken by the government have helped limit its spread.

Small Indian businesses and individuals continue to report being hit by the cyber-extortion campaign that began on Friday and has affected computers around the world, disrupting essential services and forcing some to meet the unidentified hackers' ransom demands.

What Is WannaCry, Who Is Affected, and Everything Else You Need to Know About It

New Delhi-based Computer Emergency Response Team is carrying out "regular drills" to ensure minimum damage to the country, its head Sanjay Bahl told Reuters late on Thursday, encouraging people to come forward and inform the agency about any attacks.

Key Government Networks Well Protected, Says Sundarajan

The government has said state organisations such as those managing government websites and building supercomputers had promptly installed security patches issued by Microsoft, immunising their systems.

Analysts have, however, warned that a lot of ransomware attacks in India would go unreported because of the high use of readily available pirated software by small companies.

"Those who are using pirated software, they don't even have any patch," Bahl said. "They won't even report any attack. They have no option but to go for something new."

© Thomson Reuters 2017

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