The ‘WannaCry’ virus has infected 2,000 computers so far in the country, according to the latest figures released by officials in Tehran.
WannaCry, otherwise known as WannaCrypt is a software which targets computers running on the Windows system and locks files until a ransom is paid in digital Bitcoins. With respect to this virus it demands an immediate $300 in the first few hours or the price would double, triple and so on.
Financial Tribune reported two days ago some 200 computers in the country were infected by the so-called ‘ransomware’ software.
The payment is untraceable, and the end-user or the attacker which originally sent out the virus remains a mystery to global security agencies.
Following the flurry of reports of the attack, the chief of international and legal affairs at Iran’s Cyber Police warned that the “ransomware,” which has affected countless computer systems worldwide, has done the same to some systems inside the country.
Talking to state TV at the weekend, Hossein Ramezani called for preemptive measures to stop the virus from spreading further, Iran Front Page reported.
He said the attack did not have any specific targets. The hackers staging the onslaught, the official said, “have broken ranks with a foreign intelligence service,” apparently referring to the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States.
Local technology websites CITNA reported on Monday that so far mainly Internet service providers, telecoms operators, hospitals and universities have been hit by the malware.
