State government says 55 cameras were affected after a contractor introduced the virus to the system by mistake

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Approximately 55 traffic cameras in Victoria have been infected with the WannaCry ransomware, according to the Victorian department of justice.

Intersection and highway cameras across the state have been affected by the malware, which caused chaos around the world by attacking the British National Health Service and other organisations in May.

What is WannaCry ransomware and why is it attacking global computers? Read more

A department spokesman said all 55 cameras had been “operating correctly and accurately” while infected, but that the issue had been referred to the road safety camera commissioner.

If the commission finds motorists have been incorrectly fined as a result of the infection, the department said it would withdraw the affected fines.

In a statement, the department said a system patch had been applied to prevent the spread of the virus, and affected cameras would be fixed “in the next couple of days”.

But Melbourne radio station 3AW said the infection had been discovered earlier this month, but had only been referred to the commissioner once the station reported the story on Thursday.

When attached to a computer, ransomware encrypts local files and demands hundreds of dollars from users to return access. In May, WannaCry disrupted American multinational FedEx; Telefónica, Spain’s largest telecommunications company; and the NHS, cancelling operations and blocking access to patient records and phones.



The department of justice said Victoria’s infection was not the result of a targeted attack, but was caused by a contractor mistakenly connecting infected hardware to cameras.



The company that supplies Victoria’s traffic cameras, Redflex, has been contacted for comment.

In March, Redflex renewed its contract to supply cameras to New South Wales Roads & Maritime Services, and in October last year won a contract to expand the state’s in-vehicle speed camera program with forty new cameras.

The road safety camera commissioner has been contacted for comment.