Ransomware Cause Electricity Blackouts In Johannesburg
Ransomware has reportedly resulted in power cuts in Johannesburg, South Africa. This was after IT systems of City Power, a major electricity supplier in South Africa’s largest city had been shut down by the malware.
Ransomware is a computer malware that locks someone’s machine and demands a payment from the computer owner in order to be unlocked
City Power tweeted announcing that the issue was barring consumers from making payments for electricity and also hampered the firm’s efforts to respond to localised blackouts.
Posting on microblogging site Twitter where it announced the issue, the company said:
It has encrypted all our databases, applications and network.
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The company’s spokesperson told the BBC that more than a quarter of a million people might have been affected. He said:
These are the people on pre-paid system[s] and would at any given day buy electricity.
Those people were not able to access the system.
Reports suggest that attackers are saying that they will restore access once payment has been made.
Meanwhile, the City of Johannesburg, which owns the electricity company, said that most IT systems had now been restored although there were still some problems. The tweeted:
Customers should not panic as none of their details were compromised.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused to the people of the City of Joburg.
More: News Day
