Except sporadic incidents in some southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, many Indian institutions and industries remained protected from the ill-effects of the infamous WannaCry Ransomware virus. Global reports suggest that ransomware cyber attack had affected nearly 100 countries around the world. By the end of the doom’s day, union broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad confirmed that all systems in the NIC (National Informatics Centre) were running smoothly, which is a good thing.
Nevertheless, Mr. Pradipto Chakrabarty (Regional Director, CompTIA) believes India was never a target for Ransomware attacks. A few tech experts believe that lack of proper digital setup in India could’ve been a major reason behind less damage. Since Indian offices usually rely on paperwork, hackers wouldn’t gain anything significant from hacking its digital data.
What was the Hype About Ransomware Attacks?
Ransomware, as the name suggests, is malicious software designed to block the functioning of a computer systems until the user pays a hefty ‘ransom’ to get their systems unblocked. The virus works only when we download it via mails and suspicious sites.
Are Indian Banks Protected Against Virus Attacks?
Most Indian banks, corporate houses, agencies and government offices had circulated a word of caution across the country to reinforce online security. Moreover, the offices remained unaffected since they opened on Monday, after the weekend during which, the ill-effects of malware affected the entire country.
The hackers were more likely to attack the banking sector, as predicted. Therefore, the authorities had barred customers from using ATMs and net banking. The Indian ATMs that run on Windows XP were less vulnerable to digital attacks as the virus was designed to work in newer versions of the Windows. For now, the RBI has asked Indian banks to use their digital services only after their systems were updated and secured.
If the experts are to be believed, banks usually have a “white list” that provides restricted entry to valid programs only. Any program which isn’t a part of the system is automatically blocked and reported. The broadcasting ministry is likely to launch this setup in other systems as well.
Cyber experts have cautioned the bank staff against downloading unsolicited mails and suspicious files on their system. The idea was to minimize the basic human error that can cause a massive damage to the entire banking sector of the country.
Are we prepared for Similar Viral Attacks in Future?
CEO and Co-Founder of Lucideus Company, Mr. Saket Modi confirms that the effects of ransomware were not as devastating as predicted earlier. Rumor was that over 10 lakh computers across the world were damaged by Ransomware. Russia was the main focus for these attacks. Having a fully-digitized network, about 70% attacks were launched on Russia to damage their digital network.
Following Centre’s demonetization drive, Indians are gradually switching on to cashless, paperless transactions. In this case, the government needs to erect robust Wirefalls and security systems, as WannaCry ransomware is likely to evolve into newer versions. It may cause more damage if we aren’t prepared to combat bigger attacks in future.
