Europe is hit by new 'WannaCry' virus
All we can add is nice timing during the ECB economic conference. How systemically vulnerable are the Elites to this stuff? VERY.- SKG
- Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister among those affected by latest virus
- Russian oil giant Rosnef and Danish shipp firm AP Moller-Maersk also hit
- IT experts said virus appears to be ransomware, similar to 'WannaCry' attack
via Chris Pleasance for MailOnline
Hackers have launched a fresh ransomware attack on Europe just a month after the 'WannaCry' virus locked computers across the continent.
The Ukrainian government appears to have been badly affected, alongside Russia's Rosneft oil company and Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk.
Rozenko Pavlo, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, posted an image of his locked computer, saying 'all computers of the government' had fallen victim to the virus.
The Ukrainian government, oil giant Rosnef and Danish shipping firm AP Moller-Maersk have all been hit by a new ransomware virus sweeping across EuropeRozenko Pavlo, the Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister, tweeted this image of his computer screen - saying 'all computers of the government' had been affected
An image he uploaded shows a black screen covered in white text which warns that 'one of your disks contains errors and needs to be repaired'.
The screen also warns not to turn the computer off otherwise all data will be lost.
Another screen with red text warns that files on the computer have been encrypted and will only be released if a payment of £300 in anonymous online currency Bitcoin is made.
Anders Rosendahl, a spokesman for Copenhagen-based AP Moller-Maersk, said: 'We are talking about a cyberattack.'
'It has affected all branches of our business, at home and abroad.'
There's very little information about who might be behind the disruption, but technology experts who examined screenshots circulating on social media said it bears the hallmarks of ransomware.Anders Rosendahl, a spokesman for Copenhagen-based AP Moller-Maersk, said: 'We are talking about a cyberattack'
The virus is similar in nature to the 'WannaCry' bug that hit computers around the world last month, and is thought to have originated in North Korea
Such viruses hold data to ransom, scrambling it until a payment is made, usually requesting virtual currency Bitcoin because it is anonymous and cannot be traced.
The world is still recovering from a previous outbreak of ransomware, called WannaCry or WannaCrypt, which spread rapidly using digital break-in tools originally created by the U.S. National Security Agency and recently leaked to the web.
Read more by Soren K.Group
