BY NDUMNE BELL IN DOUALA
Sequel to a massive cyber attack evaluated to have victimized more than 200.000 individuals in 150 countries in the very early morning hours of the weekend, risk managers from a group called (AMRAE in French), a risk management and protection association, has recommended precautions to the public to block this menace in the long-run.
The virus which is at the origin of the attack this weekend is christened ‘Wanna Cry’, packaged in a ransomeware which exploits the weaknesses and failures in window exploration systems.
The matter has created a cyber-chaos since last Friday May 12 evening. Even though people seemed to have taken measures, figures sourced from Europol confirm that 200.000 victims from 150 countries were affected by the attack.
When the virus successfully penetrates a workstation or computer, a message appears informing the user that he or she has to pay a virtually amount of money called a ‘bitcoin’ if the users need their information back. This is blackmail.
The AMRAE release of Tuesday May 15 states that France Inter Guillaume Poupard of the National Board for the Protection of Information Systems, (or ANSSI in French) should be commended for their dynamism in mastering the perpetration. But Poupard warned that to him “We better wait and see if the days and weeks ahead will trigger a recurrence.”
On their part, AMRAE recommends a series of measures which must be rigourously followed. Some of them are to unite all stakeholders like technicians of internal and external communication concerns, legal and risk management personnel, to take rapid decisions after rapid coordination has taken place.
They advise the public to deposit official complaints where these ills can be fought, defend their rights and fight to benefit from insurance covers. The victim is to notify his insurer whenever there is a cyber attack, on the one hand. On the other hand, they are urged not to pay the ransom, ensure that users’ information are reasonably and professionally protected in order not to ruin the reputation of the enterprise just to mention a few. Unfortunately some of these measures are not yet practical in Cameroon.