A massive ransomware attack has impacted thousands of computers across the world. The “WannaCry” cyberattack paralyzed thousands of computers at banks, hospitals, and government institutions. As of Monday, May 15, 2017, the ransomware attack has affected more than 200,000 victims in 150 countries. New versions of the ransomware have reportedly surfaced, including one without the kill switch.
On Friday, computer users across the world experienced ransomware locking down all files on their computer and were asked to pay up to $300 worth of bitcoin or face losing their files. But a 22-year-old researcher, identified as MalwareTech, was able to stop the the spread with an unregistered domain he purchased.
Microsoft provided a security update for all customers to protect Windows platforms, including Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003.
We first posted about the cyberattack on 5/12/17:
News broke on first on Friday, May 12, 2017, that a ransomware attack likely based on leaked NSA hacking tools has hit more than 75,000 computers worldwide.The majority of the computers infected so far appear to be in Russia, though computers in other countries such as Ukraine, India, and Taiwan have also been affected. The ransomware locks down all files on a computer until the user pays up in order to regain access. The ransonware called “WannaCry,” appears to largely be taking advantage of a known exploit that was patched by Microsoft in March of this year.
Mudd Law will continue to monitor this matter as it further unfolds.