Himachal Police file case after man reports ransonware attack

PTI

Shimla, June 18

Police in Himachal Pradesh have registered a case after a man claimed a ransomware attack on the server of his computer by hackers demanding money to decrypt files.

Police said it is the first case of a ransomware attack reported in the state.

A case of extortion and sending offensive/false information on electronic devices under Section 384 of the Indian Penal Code and section 66 of the IT Act has been registered at Cyber police station in Mandi district, they said.

The victim, in his complaint, said the computer server and six files on the device have been encrypted and the hackers are demanding USD 500 to decrypt the files, police said.

Superintendent of Police, Cyber Police, Rohit Malpani said people should keep a backup of their important data in an external device and use genuine operating system and anti-virus software.

“Do not open the unwanted and unknown attachments, avoid clicking on suspicious links and use multi-factor authentication,” he added.

About 3,000 complaints related to cyber crime have been registered in the state in this year so far, according to officials.