Locky Ransom Virus attacks 150 computers in Mantralaya

The Locky Ransom virus that has created havoc around the world has locked 150 computers in the revenue and public works departments of Mantralaya. Though the Information Technology (IT) department with the help of experts has managed to control the virus, the threat still persists, as the Mantralaya’s computers are not completely secure.

The IT department has at present locked mailing sites like Gmail, Yahoo and Rediff to avoid external mailing through which the virus can hit the system again. “We are allowing only the official government mails so that the other computers remain safe. Also, we have upgraded the systems with three types of anti-virus software to make it more protected. Unfortunately, the Locky virus comes with an extension that has military encryption, which no one has been able to de-code so far in the world. But the damage is not huge which would have been the case if the virus was not detected in time,” principal secretary of IT department Vijaykumar Gautam told The Asian Age on Tuesday. He has been working on war footing for over a week to stop the damage to other computers and servers.

The Locky virus, when it enters a computer, locks the entire system and sends a message to the user to pay some amount in the form of bitcoins. It is used worldwide to harass big institutions for ransom hence the name Locky Ransom, the secretary said.

The virus was first detected earlier this year. Computer security firm Symantec, on its official blog, said it often comes disguised as an invoice.

The virus entered the Mantralay system around May 11 or 12 but was detected last Friday. The IT department suspected that it might have entered through spam mails that an user did not check properly and opened, or through a pen drive. The 150 systems in the Revenue and Public Works Departments got locked due to the virus.

Within 24 hours, the IT department managed to check its spread, and the government sought help from experts to avoid further damage. “Anti-spoofing block has been created to stop cloning of the official email ids that can confuse the user. The virus that entered the system must have come through email whose sender was not carefully checked,” Mr Gautam said. Taking further strict measures, the secretary said that the IT department is going to lock the uploading and downloading of videos as it creates an opening for viruses.

The systems that have got locked due to virus are still under repair. “We have strong data back up so lost files can be retrieved,” he added.