A global ransomware attack is holding more than 60,000 computers hostage. Banks, telephone companies and hospitals have all been ensnared in the worldwide hack, with the malware locking down computers while demanding a hefty sum for freedom.
The attack has hit thousands of computers across China, Russia, Spain, Italy and Vietnam, but the UK hospitals have attracted the most attention because real lives at risk while their devices are locked down.
IT systems and phone lines in National Health Service hospitals were locked up on Friday, in a coordinated attack across the world. The East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust updated its website shortly after the attack, telling visitors that they were “currently experiencing significant problems with our IT and telephone network.” – CNET
The malware was released by a group known as The Shadow Brokers, which recently claimed to have dumped hacking tools stolen from the US National Security Agency (NSA).
Microsoft released a patch in March, but many systems may not have updated as of yet.
Do yourself a favor and check your Microsoft updates and if you have any run updates immediately!
