Computers in two panchayat offices in Kerala hit by ransomware

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Computers in two panchayat offices in Kerala were today disabled by the global ransomware cyberattack but no major damage was caused, the police said.

Four computers at Thariyathodu panchayat in Wayanad and two computers at Aruvappulam panchayat in Pathanamthitta district were hit by the cyberattack, Manoj Abraham, IG, Cyberdome told PTI here.

However, no major damage was caused or critical data lost. The computers got "locked", he said.

The Cyberdome, a technological research and development centre of Kerala Police, has issued an advisory on preventive steps to be taken to avert such attacks.

The official said the Cyberdome had anticipated such an attack and had taken various precautionary steps. A ransomware school and a special team were set up to monitor the situation, he said.

The Cyberdome has also alerted individuals and organisations about the crippling global ransomware ' WannaCry'.

The agency also issued certain guidelines for computer and internet users to prevent the cyberattack.

The Cyberdome experts have directed users to maintain updated antivirus software on all systems and check regularly for the integrity of the information stored in databases.

Over the weekend, the ransomware has hit systems in over 100 countries, including Russia and the UK, in one of the most widespread cyberattacks in history.