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Ransomware attack: Not much impact on India yet, says IT minister

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government is keeping a close watch on the matter.

Updated on: Jun 28, 2017, 14:24:27 IST
Press Trust of India, New Delhi | By
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The government on Wednesday said it has initiated proactive measures and is keeping a close vigil on the ransomware attack that has hit Europe, maintaining that there is no large-scale impact on India yet.

A laptop displays a message after being infected by a ransomware as part of a worldwide cyberattack on June 27, 2017 in Geldrop. (AFP)
A laptop displays a message after being infected by a ransomware as part of a worldwide cyberattack on June 27, 2017 in Geldrop. (AFP)

“We have been taking proactive steps... we have sent out advisories (on the cyber attack and the malware)... India is not much affected at this stage,” Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Prasad added that the government is keeping a close watch on the matter. He was speaking at the national convention here on ‘Digitalization: Opportunities and Challenges’.

One of the terminals at the JNPT port has been impacted by the latest malware attack, the government confirmed.

The fresh wave of attack, which crippled some central banks and many large corporations in Europe, came weeks after a similar incident, Wannacry, that had affected systems of many companies.

“The (shipping) ministry has confirmed that one terminal at JNPT has been affected due to the attack at Maersk’s Hague office,” an official said earlier today, adding that the government will share a report or a statement as soon as it comes to this effect.

The Maersk group too confirmed that its operations were hit by the cyber attack. “We can confirm that on Tuesday, June 27, AP Moller-Maersk was hit as part of a cyber attack named Petya, affecting multiple sites and select business units,” Maersk said in a tweet.

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