Ludlow councillor urges upgrade after cyber attack

Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow North, first wrote about computer viruses in the publication Computer Guardian 30 years ago, when the internet as we know it was still being developed, but he said the threat of virus damage was as big a risk as ever despite advances in technology.

He said: "That’s partly because modern computers, which are so much easier to use, have lulled us into a false sense of security.

"Another factor is that personal and professional users don’t see upgrading their hardware and software as a priority. That’s dangerous as criminally inclined hackers, and government security agencies, have become adept at exploiting the weaknesses in software.

"Many feel there is no need to upgrade, don’t have the cash to upgrade or don’t want the hassle of learning a new operating system. The ongoing cyber attack shows that this may be unwise, particularly if you are using Windows XP, and many people still are."

He said in the case of NHS trusts across the country being hit by the bug, the failure to upgrade had been critical and was down to a lack of investment in up-to-date computer technology.

He said: "This ransom attack exploited the most critical vulnerability in the NHS, a lack of investment.

"Huge numbers of NHS staff are staring at screens linked to computers running Windows XP. This now almost ancient computer system is no longer supported."

He said no one at the NHS had so far commented on why a security patch issued by Microsoft on March 16 was not installed.

Windows XP was released in 2005 and since there have been four newer versions, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Microsoft warned in August 2013 that it would stop security updates for the XP operating system by April 2014.

"If you are running XP, now could be time to upgrade to Windows 10," said Councillor Boddington.

Failing that, computer users should make sure anti-virus software is up to date and back up important data, whether on hard storage or by transferring to an online "cloud" storage space, he said.

Apple computers and android tablets are not affected by the WannaCry virus.