MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry detected and rapidly blocked all the WannaCry ransomware attacks at its information infrastructure, a high-ranking source in the ministry told reporters on Tuesday.

"As for the ministry’s computers connected to the internet, all of them have modern Russian-made protection systems that are constantly updated and allow to combat the current and future cyber threats," the source said.

"The WannaCry attacks on the ministry’s information infrastructure have been timely detected and rapidly blocked," the Russian Defense ministry’s source stressed.

Russian-made software has prevented the WannaCry ransomware from disrupting the operational control of the country’s troops, the source said.  "Automated control systems of the Armed Forces use only certified Russian-made software based on a specific operating system and data formats," the source elaborated. "This is why the WannaCry ransomware, taking advantage of hidden weak points of the Windows operating system, did not stand any chance of inflicting damage on the operational control of troops," the defense ministry’s source added.

WannaCry attack

On May 12, hackers tried to attack Windows OS computers in 74 countries. A total of 45,000 ransomware cyber attacks were carried out across the world, while the most attempts at infecting computers were registered in Russia. Hackers asked for a bitcoin ransom payment to unlock infected computers. Some reports say that they had used a hacking tool developed by the US National Security Agency.

Computers of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Interior Ministry, the Russian Railways company and one the country’s biggest banks, Sberbank, as well as the Megafon and Vympelcom mobile phone operators, were attacked.

Russia’s Central Bank said in a statement that cyber attacks on the country’s banks had been registered which had not caused any damage.