BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Government on Friday decided to launch an awareness campaign through social and conventional media to tackle the WannaCry threat.
The Electronics and IT Department said it will also start a toll free number for people to seek assistance. Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera chaired a meeting with senior officers of Home Department and Crime Branch at the State Secretariat here in this connection.
Although the Department has already issued an advisory, Behera said it will now issue simple guidelines to help people understand the problem and take necessary measures. Use of registered versions of Windows operating software, genuine MS Office and updates for anti-virus software will be emphasised.
The sensitisation campaign will also focus on how malicious mails and websites must be avoided by people, the Minister said. Apart from the print medium, the Government will take recourse to the social media to spread the word.
The Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) has also been directed to launch a toll free number which can be accessed by public to seek information, Behera said.
So far, three ransomware attacks have been detected in the State. The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has taken over two cases for which FIR with local police were lodged. "There is not much to panic about it. We are taking all preventive measures to contain the spread,’’ Behera said.
In the third case at Utkal Gramya Bank at Titlagarh, the bank officials had taken a data backup in an external disk which meant there was no loss of information. No police case has been registered in this regard.
The department has also asked all the districts to furnish a status report on computer systems used at different offices by the line departments.