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Doha,

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC)’s Qatar National Information Security Center (Q-cert) is guiding all entities and institutions in Qatar to be aware of a ransomware malware, which has hit over 99 countries in the last two days and is set to continue proliferating.

In order to avoid the risks of the ransomware malware, the Center has published several advisories and security tips as well as necessary actions to take in the case of malware infection, calling on all entities to instantly execute advisory actions associated with precautionary measures.

The Center explains that a number of proactive steps were adopted, and a team of specialists at the center is on alert to contain/eradicate any reported infections by the malware.

Q-Cert provides nationwide cyber security response services and they can be reached by e-mail: incidents@qcert.org or QCERT hotline: 44933408

Ransomware is malicious software that can lock the user out of his/her computer and the data stored on it, demanding a ransom to restore access to the data again.

The message appears on the computer display in the form of a warning window titled: “Wana Decrypt0r 2.0”, stating that important files including documents, photos, videos, or databases are encrypted and no longer accessible.

The warning message may change according to the geo-location of the victim, and using the victim’s IP address, the malicious software will contact the central command and control server to get the appropriate message for the victim’s country.