During the last two weeks, Internet users had real shock. A swindler virus WannaCrypt hacked millions of computers in more than 150 countries in the world. This virus attack became unprecedented taking into account its scale and consequences. A few days ago people managed to stop this attack. Who and mainly what is behind a hacker’s attack? We asked Professor Andriy Peleshchyshyn, ScD, Lviv Polytechnic Informatization Commission Head, to comment on this.
According to him, WannaCrypt interfering in the network and its spreading is caused by inadequate software and technical level of the given computer systems. This means inadequate security and support level. Old-fashioned technology and software, produced in the mid 2000s, turned out to be the most vulnerable. Similar sad picture is characteristic of all countries in the world, and Ukraine is not an exception.
The victims of this mass virus attack include big transnational corporations, enterprises, organizations, government institutions, which have the strategy of long-term technology and software use.
Lviv Polytechnic experts were monitoring this virus attack and were quick to take all necessary precautions to prevent the threat. They updated software and antivirus software. As a result, none of the University basic structural units, especially, big educational and research laboratories, suffered from WannaCrypt.
There were several attempts of the virus interference. However, they were identified in the assisting units of Lviv Polytechnic. To minimize the possible threats, experts of Network Technologies Centre and Information Support Centre introduced a «network quarantine», during which the ability of all computer systems to resist the threat had been checked. The institute of system administrators, who received the necessary instructions from the Information Support Centre and fulfilled them successfully, has played its part.
The leadership of the University Computer Services stresses that computer users and system administrators have to take constant care of the condition of software, which is the basis for security and resistance to information threats of various kinds. There should be no negligence as far as information security is concerned!