NCC Unveils Steps to Combat WannaCry Virus

By Dipo Olowookere

Nigerians have been urged to take certain measures to tackle the recent outbreak of a Ransomware Virus known as WannaCry.

In a statement issued by the agency, it warned all operators and their respective subscribers to take “proactive measures” and update their security systems in order to “to forestall the hazards of critical data loss, financial losses and ultimately network/business disruption.”

The Ransomware is capable of infecting and encrypting all files on a system or any smart device until an amount is paid for a decryption key, or other means of retrieval (which may lead to data loss) are used to recover the system as an alternative.

In the statement, the NCC advised all to obtain software patch released by Microsoft in March 2017 to fix the Ransomware Virus and also plan scheduled penetration tests on the networks and systems to ensure protection and availability at all times.

It also urged subscribers who use their smartphones as substitutes to computers for internet access should protect themselves and their devices by “not opening e-mail attachments/links from unknown sources, not clicking pop-ups and applets on unknown websites, and “install effective antivirus software for their mobile devices.”

The regulatory agency said it has taken proactive measures in fulfilling its statutory mandate by advising “Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to initiate regular assessment and audit of their cybersecurity readiness. All operators should continue to ensure that their backup/ disaster recovery strategies are in place and up to date.”

It further noted that all operators have been urged to ensure continued deployment of effective firewalls, login passwords and antivirus management regime.”

The statement said the NCC was “working towards creating a link with the Cybersecurity Alert System on its website so that current information on global cyber threats/incidents could be immediately communicated to stakeholders.”

It promised to “continue to provide more cybersecurity training for its staff.”