Following the recent outbreak of a Ransomware Virus known as “WannaCry”, the Nigerian Communications Commission has released protective measures that would help to ensure we don’t fall victims.
It said that the Ransomware was capable of infecting and encrypting all files on a system or any smart device until an amount was paid for a decryption key. “Or other means of retrieval (which may lead to data loss) are used to recover the system as an alternative. “This situation demands that proactive measures be taken by all players in the telecommunication eco-system to forestall the hazards of critical data loss, financial losses and ultimately network/business disruption.’’
Below are procative measures provided by the NCC:
- Operators and respective subscribers should obtain software patch released by Microsoft in March 2017 to fix the Ransomware Virus.
- They are also advised to plan scheduled penetration tests on the networks and systems to ensure protection and availability at all times.
- Subscribers, who use their smartphones as substitutes to computers for internet access should protect themselves and their devices by not opening e-mail attachments or links from unknown sources. Not clicking pop-ups and applets on unknown websites and installing effective antivirus software for their mobile devices.
- Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) should initiate regular assessment and audit of their cyber security readiness.
- All operators should continue to ensure that their backup and disaster recovery strategies are in place and up to date, and also ensure continued deployment of effective firewalls, login passwords and antivirus management regime.
A virus known as “Wanna Cry” started infecting computers before last week, but many did not find out until they started trying to open files with the start of the work week. So far, more than 200,000 systems have been infected in over 150 countries around the world.
Did you find this article helpful? Kindly like, comment and share!
