A global cyberattack is currently underway with a mix of information being reported online. This global cyberattack has hit several private companies such as Merck, AP Moller-Maersk and advertising firm WPP. It seems even the government of Ukraine has been hit with this global cyberattack with the deputy prime minister tweeting a photo of his computer screen.
Та-дам! Секретаріат КМУ по ходу теж “обвалили”. Мережа лежить. pic.twitter.com/B74jMsT0qs
— Rozenko Pavlo (@RozenkoPavlo) June 27, 2017
The cyberattack is coming in the form of ransomware linked to a variation named Petya. Kaspersky Labs says this new strain of ransomware was created around June 18th and could have been hitting victims since then. Kaspersky also says 2,000 computer systems have been hit with this new strain thus far. Symantec seems to think the ransomware is using an exploit in computer systems known as Eternal Blue. This exploit was also used in the WannaCry ransomware strain.
We confirm our company’s computer network was compromised today as part of global hack. Other organizations have also been affected (1 of 2)
— Merck (@Merck) June 27, 2017
Photographs and videos of computers affected by the attack show a message of red text over a black screen. The message read: “Oops, your important files have been encrypted. If you see this text then your files are no longer accessible because they have been encrypted. Perhaps you are busy looking to recover your files but don’t waste your time.”
As of now, no one knows who is behind this large-scale attack and reports are indicating that it may already be in the United States. Ransomware such is this spreads quickly through the kernel making it difficult to spot and eliminate in a timely manner. We’ll keep abreast of the situation and report back when possible.
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[button link=”https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/technology/global-ransomware-hack-what-we-know-and-dont-know.html” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: NYTimes[/button]
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