The Island Editorial

WannaCry

19 May 2017

 

One may have thought the erratic behaviour of US President Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong Un was the biggest problem the global community was faced with. True, if the two leaders translate their rhetoric into action the world might witness a nuclear winter sooner than feared. But, besides the scares they give the world from time to time, there has emerged another threat of global scale––WannaCry. It may not cause death and devastation as such, but it certainly has the potential to cripple the entire world.

Cyber attacks are not of recent origin. People have learnt to live with various computer viruses for many years; fighting such malware has become a lucrative, global industry like the Big Pharma. However, the latest ransomeware, WannaCry, has made the much-cherished global connectivity a nightmare of sorts. Spreading at an alarming rate through networks, it has affected more than 100 countries so far. All signs are that no country will be spared though international cyber crime agencies have swung into action in a bid to neutralise the threat. Some computers infected with the ransomware have reportedly been found in this country as well.

WannaCry, like any other ransomware, encrypts various files containing vital user data and rename the encrypted files, rendering them inaccessible to all others. Users are asked to pay as much as USD 600 for having the infected files decrypted, but there is no guarantee that the malefactors will honour their word even if the ransom is paid. Cyber security experts are of the view that no payment should be made because such action only encourages the criminal elements concerned to do more of what they are already doing. What makes WannaCry different from other ransomeware is the sheer scale of the damage it caused the world over within hours.

The ruthlessness of the creators of WannaCry is evident from the manner in which their ransomware crippled about 40 National Health Service institutions in the UK, causing the affected hospitals to be closed and operations cancelled. Perhaps, they did not target those computers and the ransomeware found its way into them on its own. However, they need to be brought to justice for letting the genie out of the bottle. (A wag says similar situations often occur in this country without cyber attacks due to frequent strikes the health sector trade unions resort to at the drop of a hat, making the sick cry.)

The rapid spread of WannaCry and the failure on the part of cyber security experts to trace it to the creators, have demonstrated the growing vulnerability of a digitally driven world moving towards a global village. In times of yore when the clickety-clack of typewriters was the order of the day people had some peace of mind where data storage was concerned. Threats to their records came only from disasters like floods and fires or insects. Today, most people are dependent on digital archiving of information and only a few of them care to make backups of their data. Cyber criminals take advantage of this situation.

Perhaps, WannaCry attack is only a dummy run. Its creators may have wanted to test the preparedness of cyber experts to meet such a global threat. They have exploited a particular cyber vulnerability to gain access to computers the world over and what other devious means they will employ to carry out their sordid operations next time are anybody’s guess. Given the severity of the recent attack one can only hope and pray that WannaCry is not a feint to be followed by a killer hook, though efforts to contain it have reached fruition to some extent.

Cyber security experts tell us the only way we can think of warding off WannaCry without having to cry over lost data is to update our computers and ensure they are protected by reliable virus guards. So, let’s batten down the hatches and keep our fingers crossed.