Nissan-Renault has temporarily halted production at its Chennai plant following a cyber attack. Called ransomware, this threat has also put the Japanese and French manufacturers' UK operations on a hold.
Renault and Nissan have been hit by the ransomware called Wanna Decryptor or WannaCry. Ransomware is a new form of digital extortion. It locks down systems by encrypting the data on it, only releasing it once a ransom amount has been paid. It targets a loophole in the Windows XP operating system, the support for which had been stopped by Microsoft back in 2014.
It is not just the Renault-Nissan operations that have been hit, this ransomware has also crippled Andhra Pradesh’s Police Department computers and several othe MNCs. Speaking to Times of India, Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office said, "About 100 systems were attacked, but as of now there are no more threats.” We are awaiting official statements from Nissan and Renault regarding the same.
