Inside Story

How can cyberattacks be stopped?

Thousands of computers go down in yet another large-scale cyberattack targeting companies around the world.

Cyber security has become one of the most important aspect of life in the 21st century, which means keeping computer systems secure becomes paramount for governments and companies.

Now, a major cyberattack that began in Ukraine has crippled computer systems around the world.

It has shut down government agencies and impacted thousands of businesses from India to Denmark.

It is linked to the so-called WannaCry ransomware, a virus that holds data hostage until a payment is made.

No one knows who is behind this attack, yet but the United States says it is investigating.

What will it take to stop attacks like these? And will it get worse before it gets better?

Presenter: Richelle Carey

Guests:

Antonis Michalas – head of cyber security group at the department of computer science at the University of Westminster

Patrick Flynn – director of National Security Programmes

Neil Walsh – chief of the United Nations Global Programme on Cybercrime