FIR filed in JNPT cyber attack case

Mumbai: The Nhava Sheva police have registered an FIR under extortion sections of the IPC against unknown persons on Saturday, following the breakdown in operations at one of the three terminals of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), the country’s largest container port on Tuesday night after an attack by global ransomware. The attackers have also demanded a hefty ransom, running into crores, to prevent another attack.

According to officials, the cyber attack has affected all software operations of Gateway Terminals India (GTI). AP Moller-Maersk, one of the global entities affected, operates the GTI at JNPT, which has a capacity to handle 1.8 million standard container units. Some, 2,000 to 5,000 containers are received and delivered from there on a regular basis and the entire system of loading and unloading containers is conducted through software.

The Navi Mumbai DCP crime, Tushar Doshi, said, “Yes, we have registered an FIR as there has been a demand for a ransom of $ 300 to be paid in Bitcoin. We are yet to transfer this case to the cyber cell. We have asked the company officials to confirm details about the system attacked by the virus. Once we receive that information, we can take the case ahead. We will take help from SP, cyber branch as well as experts. This is not a normal attack.”