In the wake of the massive NotPetya ransomware attack, India is pushing Microsoft to roll out upgrades to the latest Windows 10 operating system to users in India. There are over 50 million Windows users in the country, many of whom are vulnerable to such attacks because Windows upgrades cost money and note everyone wished to pay. Which is why the Indian government is requesting Microsoft to offer these upgrades at heavily discounted prices. Also Read - Clubhouse will be soon available for Android users, confirms co-founder
Also Read - Microsoft testing Xbox Cloud Gaming Windows app; moving to Xbox Series X architectureAnd according to a report by Reuters, Gulshan Rai, India’s cyber security coordinator said that Microsoft has in principle agreed to the request. However, quite understandable, if Microsoft agrees to such a request in India, it could open up the global software giant to similar requests from around the world. Rai said the government was in talks with Microsoft management in India. It is not immediately clear whether any other countries were seeking similar deals. Also Read - Microsoft to launch "The New Windows" operating system soon: Report
Further, Rai said that the Indian government has been in a dialogue with Microsoft about this for a while now, ever since WannaCry broke to be precise. The pressure put on Microsoft was deeper once the NotPetya attacks surfaced, which is exploited vulnerabilities in older iterations of the Windows OS.
“The quantum of the price cut, we expect some detail on in a couple of days,” Rai said, adding the Indian government expected the company to offer the software at “throw-away prices.” “It will be a one-time upgrade offer to Windows 10 and it will be a discounted price for the entire country,” Rai added. Windows 10 Home currently retails for Rs 7,999 in India, while the Pro version of the software typically used by large companies and institutions costs Rs 14,999. ALSO READ: Petya ransomware follows WannaCry s footsteps; here s what the experts have to say
However, this is just an interim solution, however, said Rai, because although the patches fix vulnerabilities in older OS versions, they retain the limitations of those versions.
What was earlier known to be caused by the Petya virus, was recently found to be much more than just a ransomware attack, researchers believe that it doesn t demand ransom but permanently destroys data. Essentially, the researchers said, the payload delivered in the outbreak wasn t ransomware at all. Instead, its true objective was to permanently wipe out as many hard drives as possible on infected networks. ALSO READ: Before WannaCry and Judy, these 5 malware attacks wreaked havoc globally
