JIPMER suspends tele-consultation following ransomware attack
The Hindu
Institute reverts to manual mode for day-to-day operations
Following a suspected ransomware attack on its computer systems, JIPMER has suspended tele-consultation services and reverted to manual mode to continue its day-to-day operations. According to sources, the attack came to light late on Friday when technical staff detected glitches while trying to access the servers. As a precautionary measure, the digital grid on which the hospital functions was shut down and the Ministries concerned alerted, given the serious implications of the incident, they added. “Cyber experts from across the country are investigating the incident remotely. The police and a couple of cyber experts inspected the site. We are also following guidance from experts every step of the way,” a JIPMER spokesperson said.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.