Key govt networks protected from ransomware: IT secy

NEW DELHI: The government has installed necessary security in batches to protect its key networks from the cyber attack by ransomware virus ‘WannaCrypt’, Information Technology Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said here on Tuesday.

“On ransomware, since March, the government of India has been on high alert.

We have already installed the necessary security in batches as far as the government key networks are concerned,” said, during the inaugural session of Broadband India Forum.

“We have not got any reports of widespread infection.

There have been very few isolated instances and we continue to be on watch,” she added.

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday had said the cyber attack by ransomware virus ‘WannaCrypt’ had nearly zero impact in India.

“We are strengthening our cyber security.

After talking to Microsoft, we had asked people to install patch system in March. This ongoing attack not only had minimum, but nearly zero per cent impact, in India. We are strengthening our areas,” the Minister had said.

Meanwhile, in Kerala, a day after the computers of four village panchayats in Kerala were hit, 23 computers of the Railway Division office in Palakkad came under cyber attack on Tuesday.

A statement issued by the railway authorities here said that 23 out of the 500 computers were affected by the ransomware cyber attack. However, it said the data on the affected computers had back up and were stored in printed files and hence there was no loss of data.

“The cyber attack was noticed on 23 computers which flashed the message of asking money to be paid in bitcoins, or warned the data would be lost forever. Since all the affected computers contained document files pertaining to the employees, that have backed up files, the data loss is only temporary,” said the statement.

It said the railways uses a different system for ticketing and other passenger related issues and cargo movements, which have not been affected at all. — IANS