Bhubaneswar, May 18: The WannaCry ransomware that sent computer systems across the globe into lockdown last week has struck Odisha a second time.
The malware hit the state's banking sector, infecting computers at the Utkal Gramya Bank at Titilagarh in Balangir district, about 550km from here. The incident has come to light 24 hours after the attack on Berhampur City Hospital's information management system, which had affected its e-medicine services.
WannaCry is a ransomware that encrypts files and locks the user out of the system.
Sources said the ransomware infected the bank's computers yesterday, forcing authorities to stop all transactions today. They have also lodged a complaint with the Balangir district police.
Bank manager Purussotam Ghadai said: "The data in the computers have been encrypted and the hacker is demanding a payment of US$ 300. We have intimated the authorities about the incident."
Ghadai said the hackers provided an online postal code and directed them to make the payment only in Bitcoin, the crypto-currency not controlled by any financial body, but used widely for online transactions.
In a related development, a three-member crime branch team today reached Berhampur City Hospital to begin their probe into yesterday's attack. Assistant district medical officer, Ganjam, Saroj Kumar Mishra said: "The crime branch team shared a series of guidelines about how to avoid a cyber attack."
Authorities of Burla Medical College in Sambalpur have already taken precautionary measures and issued guidelines keep systems safe from the malware.
With government computer systems and services being exposed to cyber attacks, the BJP state unit today hit back at the BJD administration, asking why its information and technology advisor Sam Pitroda was absent. "The advisor is missing. The state government should abstain from recruiting NRIs as advisors," party spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said.
The BJD also hit back at the BJP with IT minister Chandra Sarathi Behera coming to the defence of the tech czar, who was appointed as technology adviser to the state government in January 2016.
Behera said: "This is a global phenomenon. Pitroda has been appointed to advise the state on the development of the IT sector. At this point, his presence is not needed. We will take his advice when it is required." He also said directions had been issued to authorities concerned about updating their computers with anti-virus software.
BJD spokesperson Amar Prasad Satpathy said: "The virus has hit many countries. To ask questions about Sam Pitroda is unfortunate. Our government is also worried about the issue and taking necessary steps. The crime branch is probing into the matter."
The state administration has already issued a series of guidelines to district collectors. It is also taking the help of Indian Institutes of Information Technology and the National Informatics Centre to overcome the problem.
