The first reports of organizations being hit emerged from Russia and Ukraine, but the impact quickly spread westwards to computers in Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Britain. Danish shipping giant A. Moller-Maersk, which handles one out of seven containers shipped globally, said the attack had caused outages at its computer systems across the world on Tuesday, including at its terminal in Los Angeles. A Swiss government agency also reported computer systems were affected in India, though the country's cyber security agency said it had yet to receive any reports of attacks.
Perhaps you are busy looking for a way to recover your files, but don't waste your time. The same message appeared on computers at Maersk offices in Rotterdam and at businesses affected in Norway. Other companies that said they had been hit by a cyber attack included Russian oil producer Rosneft, French construction materials firm Saint Gobain and the world's biggest advertising agency, WPP - though it was not clear if their problems were caused by the same virus.
Cyber security firms scrambled to understand the scope and impact of the attacks, seeking to confirm suspicions hackers had leveraged the same type of hacking tool exploited by WannaCry, and to identify ways to stop the onslaught. Experts said the latest ransomware attacks unfolding worldwide, dubbed GoldenEye, were a variant of an existing ransomware family called Petya.
It uses two layers of encryption which have frustrated efforts by researchers to break the code, according to Romanian security firm Bitdefender. Russian security software maker Kaspersky Lab, however, said its preliminary findings suggested the virus was not a variant of Petya but a new ransomware not seen before.
Last's month's fast-spreading WannaCry ransomware attack was crippled after a year-old British security researcher Marcus Hutchins created a so-called kill-switch that experts hailed as the decisive step in slowing the attack.
Any organization that heeded strongly worded warnings in recent months from Microsoft Corp to urgently install a security patch and take other steps appeared to be protected against the latest attacks.
A criminal investigation has now been launched in an effort to track down the person responsible for the virus.
Previous viruses, such as Love Bug, Code Red and the Nimda Worm caused problems for millions of computer users across the world. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
Argos AO. Privacy Policy Feedback. New computer virus causes havoc A powerful new computer virus was today causing havoc with e-mail systems across the world.
Share or comment on this article:. Most watched News videos Racy videos of prostitute who was arrested with England rugby star Andrew in the Navy: See the young Prince serve and fly a helicopter Distressing videos reveal conditions inside 'China's isolation camps' Xi'an resident 'beaten' by anti-epidemic workers for flouting rules Two airliners appear to fly just feet from each other near Luton Man uses a hammer to destroy BBC's statue created by Eric Gill Anti-epidemic workers go viral for using human chain to deliver food Jacob Rees-Mogg: Douglas Ross has always been a lightweight figure Dr Anthony Fauci caught on hot mic calling Senator a moron Nicholas Witchell: Prince Andrew civil sex case a 'monumental mess' Don't tear the pants off!
Comments 0 Share what you think. Bing Site Web Enter search term: Search. DON'T MISS 'She's a big girl now, time to stop': David Beckham, 46, defiantly persists in sharing snaps showing him kissing daughter Harper, 10, on the lips Make-up free Dawn French, 64, shares naked selfie from the bath as she looks out on the breathtaking view from her stunning Cornish home Madonna, 63, hints Julia Fox, 31, is set to star in her much-delayed biopic Kickstart your with the one thing you need this January Fun House twins Melanie and Martina Grant, 50, are STILL cheerleading at private parties years after kids show went off-air New bride Ricki Lake is seen flashing her wedding ring for the first time since tying the knot with lawyer husband Obsessive Craig David fan who stalked singer for five years and believed she was his girlfriend appears in court to challenge order banning her from contacting him Apprentice hopeful Alex Short has been the director of THREE failed recruitment firms before trying to impress on the BBC show Make-up free Jane Seymour, 70, cuts a casual figure in black T-shirt and matching leggings as she runs errands in Malibu Dancing On Ice: Holly Willoughby is back in a plunging gown after sparking backlash for her 'inappropriate' wardrobe How tyranny of political correctness sweeping Tinseltown is crushing creativity, stifling talent - and driving audiences away Novak Djokovic given first round draw for Australian Open despite No 1 seed's wait for final decision on whether he will be DEPORTED Love Island's Rebecca Gormley sizzles in busty black crop top with revealing cut outs as she heads for dinner Rebecca, 23, put on a busty display The internet is in tears after Gino D'Acampo surprises daughter Mia, 8, with a PUPPY in incredible footage that sees youngster burst with joy 'When does this get better?
The advantage of this insurance cover is that it pays the ransom should your business be affected. Organizations that have a ransomware cover are highly likely to have the ransom paid by their insurance company. Every month of the year has reported several ransomware spreads.
Ransomware in statistics indicate that over 70 reported cases by the end of May. The records may hit the hundreds by the time the year ends. This resulted in utter disarray for foreign exchange transactions in the first month of the year. A ransomware attack on the company rendered 35, United Kingdom residents unable to access public services online.
CPI — California: The defense contractor was forced offline by a ransomware. By March, they had not yet resumed operations. They were not able to confirm what data was compromised. Several industries, including finance and healthcare, have been ravaged by ransomware. Consequently, many businesses have invested in ransomware prevention and response. No company big or small is immune to attacks from cybercriminals. Ransomware virus attacks on government systems have led to complete shutdowns of IT systems.
Many organizations opt to pay the ransoms to resume operations as soon as their data is restored. The impact of a ransomware can be devastating as it may result in the loss of crucial data. Here are some examples of ransomware viruses attacks and their consequences:.
Crypto Ransomware: It prowls through your computer or network in search of specific data that is important to you. It then collects data such as images and PDFs as well as texts. If you fail to comply with their ransom demands, your data is gone forever. Locker Ransomware: This one locks your entire system and hinders you from logging in. Scareware: It limits your access to the data as well as the system. The only difference between this and locker ransomware is its ransom methodology.
Doxware: This one threatens to expose sensitive information such as personal identification and financial information on the internet.
You are required to pay a ransom to prevent this. There are lots of anti-virus products to choose from to protect your data.
Investing in a good one is crucial for any organization. Here are some preventive measures you can take to protect your data. Identify Ransomware Behavior: Organizations can identify ransomware behavior by installing ransomware protection software. Ransomware can be traced because they have observable patterns. Once these are detected, they can be blocked. One way is to develop a snare such as files that seem real to them.
The cybercriminal is triggered and will most likely come after the bait. Backing Your Systems Up: A system backup saves you a lot of grief if your data should you lose your data or get hacked. Have it backed up both on the cloud as well as locally. Should a ransomware virus hit your system, the backups allow you to clean up the affected system.
Then you can repair it with your updated backup data. Backing your data up in the cloud offers further protection. Restricting Access to Your Data: This is done through network segregation and is important for all kinds of cyber threats. When access to data is restricted, even cybercriminals are not able to get to it easily. Segregating network safeguards data in the event of a ransomware virus attack. The best security software is threefold. It contains anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-ransomware protection.
These must be routinely updated and reviewed. Disable Vulnerable Plug-ins: Plug-ins such as flash offer an easy pathway for hackers to corrupt your system.
They can use them to launch an attack and infect your system. This renders all your data vulnerable and it can be used to extort funds from you. Updating your plug-ins regularly is crucial to prevent your system from virus attacks. File Extensions: All documents should include relevant viewable file extensions from trusted sources.
It is necessary to protect the system from downloading inconsequential documents that may be coming in from suspicious sources. Ransomware Awareness in the Workplace: Human error is to blame for most ransomware virus attacks. The solution is to ensure the employees are aware and sufficiently trained to prevent and handle it. Workers must be aware of the many hacking techniques that exist.
They should know not to click on unknown links or checking out malicious content as the ramifications could be dire. All links and attachments should be verified before they are opened and the source carefully analyzed. Also, ransomware virus attacks can take a variety of forms.
0コメント