GhanaStar
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Music
No Result
View All Result
GhanaStar
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Music
No Result
View All Result
GhanaStar
No Result
View All Result
Home International

Technology Ransomware Cyber-Attack Threat Escalating

May 14, 2017
in International
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Friday’s cyber-attack has affected more than 200,000 victims in 150 countries, Europol chief Rob Wainwright says.

You Might Also Like

Prime Minister Boris Johnson Moved to Intensive Care Unit after His Coronavirus Condition Worsens

Ghanaian Politician Emmanuel Owuraku Amofah’s Son Desmond “Etika” Amofah Found Dead in the East River of New York

Protests Held As Fire Anger Increases

He told the BBC the act was “unprecedented in its scale” and warned more people could find themselves affected on Monday morning.

The virus took control of users’ files, demanding payments; Russia and the UK were among the worst-hit countries.

Experts say another attack could be imminent and have warned people to ensure their security is up to date.

Mr Wainwright said that the ransomware was being combined with a worm application allowing the “infection of one computer to quickly spread across the networks”.

He added: “That’s why we’re seeing these numbers increasing all the time.”

‘Patch before Monday’

Although a temporary fix earlier slowed the infection rate, the attackers had now released a new version of the ransomware, he said.

Companies need to make sure they have updated their systems and “patched where they should” before staff arrived for work on Monday morning, the EU law enforcement agency head said.

In England, 48 National Health Service (NHS) trusts reported problems at hospitals, GP surgeries or pharmacies, and 13 NHS organisations in Scotland were also affected.

What occurred was an “indiscriminate attack across the world on multiple industries and services”, Mr Wainwright said, including Germany’s rail network Deutsche Bahn, Spanish telecommunications operator Telefonica, US logistics giant FedEx and Russia’s interior ministry.

However, he said that so far “remarkably” few payments had been made by victims of the attack.

BBC analysis of three accounts linked with the global attack suggests the hackers have been paid the equivalent of £22,080.

The Europol chief said his agency was working with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to find those responsible, and that more than one person was likely to be involved.

The virus exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software, first identified by the US National Security Agency, experts have said.

After taking computers over, it displayed messages demanding a payment of $300 (£230) in virtual currency Bitcoin to unlock files and return them to the user.

Microsoft released security updates last month to address the vulnerability, with another patch released on Friday.

The UK security researcher known as “MalwareTech”, who helped to limit the ransomware attack, predicted “another one coming… quite likely on Monday”.

MalwareTech, who wants to remain anonymous, was hailed as an “accidental hero” after registering a domain name to track the spread of the virus, which actually ended up halting it.

The 22-year-old told the BBC it was very important for people to patch their systems as soon as possible.

Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.

Tags: Air Freight & Logistics - NECBBCComputer securityComputer virusComputer wormCryptographyCybercrimeCyberwarfareDeutsche BahnEuropean UnionEuropolEuropol chiefFedExgermanygovernmentIntegrated Telecommunications Services - NEClaw enforcement agency headlogistics giantMalwareMicrosoftMicrosoft WindowsNational Health ServiceNewspaper & Magazine Printing ServicesOperation Tovarrail networkRail ServicesRansomwareRob WainwrightRussiaScotlandSoftware - NECTelecommunications operatorTelefonicathey have updated their systemsUK security researcherUnited KingdomUnited StatesUS Federal Bureau of InvestigationUS National Security Agency

Related News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson Moved to Intensive Care Unit after His Coronavirus Condition Worsens

by
April 6, 2020
0

Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care after his condition worsened, Downing Street has said. The prime minister was...

Ghanaian Politician Emmanuel Owuraku Amofah’s Son Desmond “Etika” Amofah Found Dead in the East River of New York

by
June 25, 2019
0

Daniel Desmond Amofah, a.k.a. Etika, a popular gaming vlogger with more than 800,000 YouTube followers and son of the Ghanaian...

Protests Held As Fire Anger Increases

by
June 16, 2017
0

Protests were held in London as residents demanded support for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. Between 50 and...

US Destroyer Collides With Merchant Vessel Near Japan

by
June 16, 2017
0

The US Navy has requested help from the Japanese coastguard. A US Navy destroyer has collided with a merchant vessel...

Next Post

Minority Wants Attack On Wassa East MP Investigated

Pressure On GHUMCO To Foot Bills of Gas Explosion Victims

Categories

  • Africa & World
  • African Music Lyrics Directory
  • Business
  • Business Directory
  • celebrities
  • Computing
  • Diaspora
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Feature
  • Featured
  • Ghana Elections 2016
  • Headlines
  • Health
  • International
  • Internet
  • Jobs
  • lifestyle
  • Music
  • News
  • Offbeat
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Profiles
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Seth Terkper
  • Smart Home
  • Social Networks
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Top Stories
  • World News

Tags

accra addo africa Association football Banks - NEC business Business_Finance chairman Donald Trump economy education Entertainment_Culture environment Geography of Africa ghana Ghanaian people government Government of Ghana Human Interest John Dramani Mahama john mahama Law_Crime mahama minister MPs elected in the Ghanaian parliamentary election Nana Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Nana Akufo-Addo National Democratic Congress National Democratic Congress (NDC) New Patriotic Party New Patriotic Party (NPP) nigeria politics Politics of Ghana president Social Issues Social Media Social Media & Networking sports United Kingdom United Nations United States Vice President War_Conflict

Recent Posts

  • Government of Ghana Unveils Official Portraits of President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
  • Who Is the Woman (Sheena Gakpe) in Sarkodie’s Latest Hit “No Sir” and Why Everyone Is Talking about It
List of Ghana Holidays for 2020
Ghana Geocoding
Ghana Cedis Exchange API
Ghana Maps Service
Toyota Cars Auto Auction History
  • African Music Lyrics Directory
  • Business Directory
  • Diaspora
  • Top Stories

All rights reserved © 2021 GhanaStar.com

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Music

All rights reserved © 2021 GhanaStar.com