The Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) through the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team Coordination Centre has received reports of encryption based cyber attack. The attack comes in form of a ransomware and is targeting computers running the Windows operating system.
The Director General, Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) Francis Wangusi has said that the virus has infected computers in many Countries across the globe. The ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to the infected computer until a ransom is paid to unlock it.
The ransomware virus, which goes by the name ‘Petya’, is similar to the ‘WannaCry’ ransomware virus that massively attacked computers across the world in May this year. Individuals and organizations are discouraged from paying the ransom, as this does not guarantee restoration of access.
The Communications Authority has therefore advised the public and organizations to put in place the following preventive measures; ensure that an up-to-date backup of important computer files offline to ensure that in the event your computer is attacked, you can restore your files from the backup.
Ensure that your computer’s Operating System (OS) is updated. This is especially for users running the Windows operating system on their computers, which is the main target of this particular cyber attack.
Ensure that your anti-virus is up-to-date, avoid clicking on links or opening attachments or emails from people or sources you don’t know or companies you don’t do business with.
Another measure is being alert when opening emails especially if they contain links or attachments. You should also take special attention of any email attachment that advises you to enable macros to view its content. Unless you trust the source, do not enable macros and instead delete the email immediately and permanently.
The Authority together with stakeholders will ensure continued support and further reiterates its commitment to enhancing the safety of Kenya’s cyberspace.