Cyber expert advises caution despite fading NotPetya threat

PETALING JAYA: While the new virulent outbreak of file-scrambling software that spread across Europe and the United States last week seem to have abated, Malaysians are still advised to practice caution.
The CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) has said that to date, no local devices were reported to have been affected by the "NotPetya" virus, which shares a similar code with an earlier ransomware strain called Petya.
However, cyber security expert Alan Yau Ti Dun has urged Malaysians to take the same precaution as they did when the infamous WannaCry ransomware attacked the country just less than two months ago.
"We can't say there is nothing to be worried about. Whether it is from us professionals, or anyone else, I don't think it's right to say don't worry.
"Users still need to understand the risk and take the same precaution (as during the WannaCry attack), like backing up their files. I understand that the new virus can even affect the whole hard disk," he told theSun today.
The "NotPetya" virus is a new ransomware that targets Microsoft Windows PC, and requires infected users to pay US$300 (RM1,290.62) in the cryptocurrency bitcoin as ransom, similar to the WannaCry ransomware which affected over 300,000 devices worldwide.
The malware exploded across the world on Tuesday, taking out businesses from shipping ports and supermarkets to government offices, hospitals and law firms in some 60 countries.
Once inside a network, this well-oiled destructive program worms its way from computer to computer, trashing the infected machines' file systems.
CSM's Computer Emergency Response Team (MyCERT) recently released an advisory, which can be found at https://www.mycert.org.my/en/services/advisories/mycert/2017/main/detail/1272/index.html