High Council for Cyber-Security reviews WannaCry ransomware developments

The High Council for Cyber-Security (HCCS), headed by Yasser Al-Qadi, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, held a meeting on Monday to review development sin the case of the “WannaCry” ransomware, which has hit many countries in the world.

The HCCS discussed its preparations to face the current cyber attacks.They inspected the situation of the vital state sectors and ways of cooperation with the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) in confronting such attacks.

The executive office of the HCCS presented a report on the coordination operations carried out between the council and representatives of vital sectors and security agencies to address cyber attacks and their repercussions.

The meeting also tackled the council’s preparations for a possible second phase of cyber attacks and other electronic threats and adopt necessary measures to address the gaps in the systems and software.

Moreover, the council discussed the proposed national strategy for cybersecurity due to be submitted to the cabinet for approval.

The HCCS is affiliated with the Egyptian cabinet and includes representatives of vital sectors of the country.

A massive ransomware attack hit different organisations across the world on 2 May. Kaspersky Lab’s researchers have analysed the data and can confirm that the company’s protection subsystems detected at least 200,000 infection attempts in 150 countries, most of them in Russia.

The attackers installed a rootkit in Microsoft Windows, which enables them to download the software to encrypt the data. The malware then encrypts the files. A request for $600 in Bitcoins is displayed along with the wallet, and the ransom demand increases over time.

Kaspersky Lab experts are currently trying to determine whether it is possible to decrypt data locked in the attack, with the aim of developing a decryption tool as soon as possible.