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Victoria Police are expected to drop further infringement fines, on top of the hundreds already cancelled, issued by speed and red-light cameras hit by the WannaCry computer virus.
In an unprecedented move, Victoria Police assistant commissioner Doug Fryer and Victorian police minister Lisa Neville are expected to announce on Saturday afternoon more infringements will be withdrawn in relation to a virus detected in the Road Safety Camera Network.
It is believed police will reveal more cameras than initially thought were infected with the virus.
It is unclear how many more infringements will be cancelled, but police have already confirmed 590 speed and red-light fines issued by affected cameras will be revoked in the coming weeks.
Victoria police has been contacted for clarity on the number of additional fines it expects to drop.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther made the first announcement on Friday afternoon, saying about 55 cameras were affected by the the WannaCry ransomware virus between June 6 and June 22.
The cameras, most of them in inner-city Melbourne, issued almost 600 speed and red-light fines during that time.
Drivers will soon receive letters noting that those fines had been cancelled.
Despite the cancellation, Mr Guenther said he had confidence the cameras had been correctly issuing fines.
He decided to cancel the fines in the interest of community confidence in the camera system, he said.
"I cancelled the fines because I think it's important the pubic has 100 per cent confidence in the system," Mr Guenther said.
"My advice is during the period the cameras were operating correctly and were not impacted by the virus. I'm confident in the advice I've been given that the fines would stand."
However, cyber security experts have serious doubts about that claim.
Dr Vanessa Teague, a cyber security expert from the University of Melbourne, said given the ransomware had only just been detected it was almost impossible for camera-system operator RedFlex to be fully confident in their technology.
She said the ransomware only affected old computer software that had not been recently patched. Microsoft released a patch for Windows machines to stop the virus in March.
"This indicates that we need to invest in just some basic infrastructure for cyber security. Basic things, like running updated and patched operating system. It's the very most basic thing that you need to do."
Typically ransomware spreads by people unwittingly opening emails, clicking on unsafe links or opening attached documents infected with a malware.
But the WannaCry developers have taken advantage of an old Windows exploit (a hole in the code) to remotely access computers and install their encryptor, allowing the virus to attack networks across the world.
It follows a global WannaCry ransomware attack in May - believed to be the world's biggest online extortion attempt - which struck more than 100,000 organisations in 150 countries, including British hospitals, German rail operators and Chinese universities.
Britain's National Health Service had to turn away patients after WannaCry locked up hospital computers, forcing the closure of wards and emergency rooms. A Honda car plant in Japan was also hit by the virus, forcing it to shut down.
The virus typically locks up infected computers and demands a ransom – payable in Bitcoin – to unlock them.
But Mr Guenther said it was his understanding that no ransom demands had been made.
Affected speed camera locations, intersections include:
- Bayswaters North: Canterbury Road & Bayswater Road
- Blackburn: Whitehorse Road & Surrey Road
- Burwood East: Blackburn Road & Burwood Highway
- Camberwell: Prospect Hill Road & Burke Street
- Campbellfield: Sydney Road & Mahoneys Road
- Carlton: Nicholson Street & Princes Street
- Cranbourne North: South Gippsland Highway & Thompsons Road
- Dandenong: Princes Highway & Gladstone Road
- Doncaster: Williamsons Road & Doncaster Road
- East Melbourne: Hoddle Street & Wellington Parade
- Fitzroy North: Alexandra Parade & Smith Street
- Fitzroy: Alexandra Parade & Brunswick Street
- Glen Iris: Monash Freeway, near High Street
- Kew: Denmark Street & High Street South
- Lake Gardens: Sturt Street & Gillies Street
- Maidstone: Ashley Street & Churchill Avenue
- Malvern East: Dandenong Road & Warrigal Road
- Melbourne: St Kilda Road & Union Street
- Mount Waverley: Highbury Road & Huntingdale Road
- Mulgrave: Springvale Road & Wellington Road
- Noble Park North: Princes Highway & Elonera Road
- Oakleigh East: Dandenong Road & Clayton Road
- Oakleigh East: Princes Highway & Huntingdale Road
- Parkville: Royal Parade & Gatehouse Street
- Preston: Bell Street & Plenty Road
- South Melbourne: City Road & Montague Street
- St Kilda: Dandenong Road & Chapel Street
- St Kilda: St Kilda Road & Fitzroy Street
- Taylors Lakes: Kings Road & Melton Highway
- Thomastown: Mahoneys Road & High Street
- Thornbury: St Georges Road & Norman Avenue
- Vermont South: Burwood Highway & Springvale Road
- Wantirna South: Burwood Highway & Stud Road
- West Melbourne: Peel Street & Victoria Street