Yeah they are saying it is a contractor that has allowed the malware on 97 cameras? That is a lot of fine income VIC govt will possibly lose and possibly lots of challenges to fines that were already issued depending on dates virus is shown to have been put in system? "The “WannaCry” malware caused the cameras to repeatedly reboot. Fryer explained that there was no indication the malware had caused inaccurate radar readings but the police were being “over cautious” to maintain faith in the system."
Does redflex insurance cover this? Be it the loss of income by govt or even the costs of retesting and cleaning off the software ?
Victoria's entire network of road safety cameras to be reviewed over software virus
By Joanna Crothers
Updated Sun at 12:00am
Heavy evening traffic on Alexandra Avenue in Melbourne.
Photo: Drivers have been warned the cameras will still be catching infringements during the review. (ABC News: Margaret Burin )
Related Story: Software virus lets Victorian drivers off the hook
Related Story: Five new speed cameras installed across Melbourne suburbs
Map: VIC
All of Victoria's 280 red light and speed cameras will be reviewed in the coming weeks to make sure they have not been infected with a software virus, but officials have warned they will still be operational.
A total of 97 cameras have now been identified as having the virus, mistakenly put into the cameras by a contractor during a routine maintenance program.
The matter has caused police to withdraw up to 8,000 fines issued between June 6 and June 22, in case they are incorrect.
Police cancelled almost 600 speeding and red light tickets on Friday after 55 cameras in Melbourne and country Victoria were found to be infected with the WannaCry virus.
Police Minister Lisa Neville on Saturday said one of the contract providers for the cameras, Redflex, contacted the Department of Justice at 5:55pm on Friday and told them 42 additional cameras had been affected.
Ms Neville said the terms of reference for an inquiry into the matter had now been widened.
"At that point it was clear to me there had been more than 55 affected. I felt that it was absolutely critical for public confidence in our red light and speed camera system that all 280 of our cameras would be subject to an investigation," she said.
"A full investigation of both where the virus may have gone, how it happened, of all the 280 cameras, how many had been infected and whether there's been an impact on the broader system."
The Minister said they thought only cameras on the Windows operating system were infected, but there was now evidence those on the Linux system had also been affected.
Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said there was no evidence any of the fines had been issued incorrectly.
"What it means is that of the 280 cameras we have operating across Victoria, I need to be sure they were operating correctly, with integrity, without interruption," he said.
"We will embargo [the fines] until the review has been concluded. Moving forward, no tickets will be issued from this date until we get the response from the road safety commissioner.
"That does not mean that the 280 both fixed and red light cameras are not operating. They are.
"They will be catching people that are speeding. They will be catching people going through red lights."
The Department of Justice has contracts with three separate providers for the cameras.
Opposition police spokesman Edward O'Donohue said the issue showed the Andrews Government was in crisis.
"With a Premier who refuses to deliver the justice reforms needed, and ministers who simply aren't up to the job, it's no wonder that these failures continue to occur," he said.
"For road safety it's critical that the community has confidence in the operation and accuracy of the road camera network, a confidence now undermined because of these mistakes."
The road safety commissioner will also look at how adequate the Department of Justice's oversight and governance of the contractors is.
The Minister said she hoped the review would be completed within a couple of weeks.
Speed camera operator set for $20.5m over five years
ANTHONY GALLOWAY AND JAMES DOWLING, Herald Sun
June 26, 2017 8:00pm
Subscriber only
Speed and red light camera fines withdrawn after virus All speed and red light cameras to be frozen after computer virus Police Minister kept in dark over speed camera chaos
THE speed camera operator which presided over a virus outbreak, bringing Victoria’s traffic enforcement system to a standstill, is set to reap $4 million this year from taxpayers.
The Herald Sun can reveal Redflex’s contract to operate the fixed cameras — which was extended by a year in January — is worth $20.5 million over five years.
The system is under intense scrutiny after a maintenance worker inserted a USB stick infected with a suspected computer virus into a number of cameras.
A freeze has been put on all red-light and fixed-camera speeding fines issued since June 6 while Victoria’s Road Safety Camera Commissioner John Voyage investigates the virus outbreak.
The Andrews Government hasn’t ruled out axing the contract with Redflex if the investigation finds the company mishandled the issue.
It is understood the government could put the contract out to tender and include stronger cybersecurity obligations on the next operator.
This would include requirements that the operator immediately report any computer viruses to the government and measures that would have prevented a camera tester using an infected USB stick.
It comes after Police Minister Lisa Neville was twice kept in the dark over the problems.
Police Minister Lisa Neville was twice kept in the dark over the speed camera virus problems. Picture: Norm Oorloff
Ms Neville said Mr Voyage’s investigation would look at every fixed camera in Victoria and make sure that they were all operating “accurately and reliably”.
“This is an incredibly high priority for the government and the Commissioner, and it is important that we get this right,” Ms Neville said. “The Commissioner will deliver his report as soon as possible.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said he couldn’t understand how the minister was not informed before the contract was extended by one year in January.
Redflex has been plagued by a number of controversies in recent years, last year paying $US20 million to the City of Chicago to settle a bribery scandal.
The former Coalition government signed a three-year contract with Redflex in 2013, which included two automatic annual extensions.
