DOJ orders beefing up of gov’t cyber security efforts vs ‘ransomware’ attacks

“Let us do what we can to monitor and step up our cyber security measures to prevent or at least minimize the adverse effects of the ‘ransomware’ attacks on our system,” Aguirre said on Sunday, adding that he also gave the same instruction to the Cybercrime Division of the DOJ. (Photo: Philippine News Agency)

MANILA–Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as well as the Cybercrime Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to intensify cyber security measures in the wake of the massive WannaCrypt ransomware attacks in various nations across the globe.

The Wannacrypt ransomware demands USD300 from victims or their files will be permanently deleted. It threatens the users to raise the ransom after a specific countdown.

“Let us do what we can to monitor and step up our cyber security measures to prevent or at least minimize the adverse effects of the ‘ransomware’ attacks on our system,” Aguirre said on Sunday, adding that he also gave the same instruction to the Cybercrime Division of the DOJ.

Aguirre also said that so far there is no report of a ‘WannaCrypt’ attack in the Philippines.

In a report posted by Danny Palmer of ZDNet.com, businesses, governments and individuals in 74 countries across the globe have been victims of more than 45,000 attacks by this one strain of ransomware in cyberspace in just a few hours.

Systems of hospitals across the UK were knocked offline by the ransomware attack, with patient appointments cancelled and doctors and nurses resorting to pen and paper and NHS England declaring the cyber attack as a ‘major incident’.

So far, the attack has affected a total of 45 NHS organizations.