There’s fresh reason to be worried about Wannacry, the malicious software that hackers stole from the U.S. National Security Agency.

In May, hackers used the malware to infect computers in more than 70 countries. The attack was particularly bad in England, where the software disrupted service at many of the country’s busiest hospitals.

Now, the software has been used to take control of 55 speed and red light cameras in Victoria, the most densely populated state in Australia. The Czech security company Avast says the hackers didn’t use the Internet to launch the attack. The infection came through a USB drive.

That was likely the same technique the U.S. and Israel used to damage Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility with the Stuxnet virus.


Jonathan Penn, director of strategy at Avast, said in a statement Thursday:

“This attack has shown us that even if your device is not directly connected to the Internet, that doesn’t mean it is completely safe or can’t be infected with ransomware like WannaCry. The traffic cameras were connected to a vulnerable USB drive, which at one point got infected with malware.

“This incident isn’t the first of its kind. Stuxnet did its job on the Iranian nuclear facilities through none other than a USB in 2012.

“These attacks shine a light on not only the dangers of USB drives, but the diverse ways behind the spreading of malware and viruses like WannaCry or Stuxnet and the need for robust protections.”


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Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com