NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi could not withdraw money from an ATM in Rajasthan after some of the machines were shut down as a precautionary measure due to the global cyber attack by “ransomware”.
Mehrishi, a 1978-batch IAS officer from Rajasthan, had gone to his hometown in Jodhpur during the weekend on a private visit.
“I could not withdraw money as some ATMs were shut down as a precaution against the cyber attack,” Mehrishi said at his North Block office here.
Ransomware is a computer malware that has spread across 150 countries and India is reportedly among the affected countries.
Home Ministry sources said some ATMs, mostly in remote areas in the country and those operating on the MS Windows software, were shut down as a precautionary measure following apprehension that assets can be targeted.
“We reviewed the situation this morning. There is no major impact in India unlike other countries. We are closely monitoring the situation,” a senior Home Ministry official said.
Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there was no major impact of the cyber attack in India, barring isolated instances in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
On Friday, a global cyber attack was launched using ransomware, a malicious software that infects computer systems and restricts users’ access to the machine until a ransom is paid online to unlock it.