A court says the ministry lacks basic IT security concepts

Apr 30, 2013 11:00 GMT  ·  By

There are multiple ways to get rid of a malware infection, but a German Ministry of Education has come up with a way that would shock many experts. 

The Ministry of Education in Schwerin determined that it would cost them €130,000 ($169,000) to clean up 170 computers infected with the notorious Conficker malware.

So, instead of cleaning them, officials have decided to throw them in the trash and buy new ones.

Heise reports that the State Court of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern now condemns the decision, arguing that spending €187,000 ($244,000) on new devices and their installation is not “up to the principle of efficiency and economy.”

The court also blames the ministry, which catalogued the infected computers as “faulty equipment,” for not understanding basic IT security concepts.