ROURKELA: Data of two tetra byte (TB) of a mobile software download shop at Koel Nagar here was lost to WannaCry ransomware attack two days back.
In fact, computer professionals in Rourkela city claimed that WannaCry threat has been stalking computer systems of private professional firms and individuals in the city from September last year, but none took notice of it till now.
Computer hardware and software solution provider Nazmuzzma informed that in October 2016, the MR Gupta & Co, a chartered accountancy firm at Civil Township, had faced the ransomware attack with cyber attackers demanding $300 and it took about eight hours to restore several computer systems.
Chartered Accountant Rohit Gupta said, his computer server is connected to 10 PCs at his office. He had opened an unknown e-mail and downloaded the attachment. Despite having installed an anti-virus software, valuable files in ‘word and excel’ formats in the E drive got encrypted with change of file extensions. He said the virus next spread to C drive and damaged data. Realising it was a cyber attack, he immediately disconnected the Internet network and power to the server computer and other PCs to save professional data in the F drive and server.
Nazmazzma said in September last year data of a DTP shop at Basanti Colony was damaged by the ransomware. A computer hardware technician Md Sarfaraz Nawaz said the main server and three connected computers containing about 500 GB data including games software at an internet parlour at Civil Township was locked and damaged in WannaCry attack in October last year. One computer in a medicine store too was affected then.
He advised computer users to avoid clicking and downloading unsolicited content from suspicious e-mails and Websites and take precaution while using external drives. He also advised victims not to pay through Bitcoin, a crypto-currency and digital payment system, as there is no guarantee of retrieving lost data.
The Software Technology Park of India (STPI), Rourkela has also issued advisories to its internal clients on precautions to avoid spam mails, keep operating system and anti-virus updated and apply security patches mentioned in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010.