OST Exclusive: WannaCry Ransomware detected in Odisha capital

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, May 17:

Amid reports of Berhampur city hospital’s information management system getting affected with WannaCry ransomware, the virus has been detected in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar as well.

The malware was detected in a computer of an MSc Microbiology student of Utkal University on Friday evening.

“As I switched on my computer, I saw a popup entitled “Ooops, your files have been encrypted!” asking to pay $600 worth of Bitcoin. I was unable to access my files and folders after that. I am also unable to access internet in my system for which I am facing a lot of difficulties in preparing for competitive exams,” Snigdha Mohanty, the victim and a resident of Bhimatangi here, told OST.

Meanwhile, antivirus software company Quick Heal Technologies Ltd has said that Bhubaneswar is among the top five cities impacted by the ransomware attack and Odisha is among the top five states.

“The top five cities in India affected by WannaCry are Kolkata, Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Pune, and Mumbai. The top five states with the highest number of infections are West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, and Odisha,” the company said in a statement.

Also read: Ransomware threat: Odisha CB issues advisory on WannaCry.

Notably, ransomware is a malicious software that locks a connected device, such as a computer, tablet or smartphone and then demands a ransom to unlock it.

WannaCry– the ransomware malware– has the ability to spread itself within corporate networks, without user interaction, by exploiting a known vulnerability in Microsoft Windows.

Computers which do not have the latest Windows security updates are at the risk of infection.

Hackers behind the massive ransomware attack have created havoc in over 150 countries by demanding ransom from each user to regain control over their data.

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