Companies have been crippled by global cyberattack, the second major ransomware crime in two months. We answer the key questions
Many organizations in Europe and the US have been crippled by a ransomware attack known as ‘Petya’. The malicious software has spread through large firms including the advertiser WPP, food company Mondelez, legal firm DLA Piper and Danish shipping and transport firm Maersk, leading to PCs and data being locked up and held for ransom.
It’s the second major global ransomware attack in the last two months. In early May, Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) was among the organizations infected by WannaCry, which used a vulnerability first revealed to the public as part of a leaked stash of NSA-related documents released online in April by a hacker group calling itself the Shadow Brokers.
The WannaCry or WannaCrypt ransomware attack affected more than 230,000 computers in over 150 countries, with the NHS, Spanish phone company Telefónica and German state railways among those hardest hit.
Like WannaCry, ‘Petya’ spreads rapidly through networks that use Microsoft Windows, but what is it, why is it happening and how can it be stopped?
What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money to release it.
