Computers in many countries were attacked by a virus-extortionist

Today, the network began to appear reports that the internal computer system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is raging virus-extortionist, encrypting data and requiring money for the decryptor. If you do not buy a "master key" within the specified period, the virus simply erases all data from the computer. Unnamed sources Gazety.ru claim that the infection is slowly acquiring a mass character - the computers of the Lipetsk, Penza, and Kaluga MVD have already suffered. Specialists note that the virus is called WannaCry and asks for the unlocking of 300 dollars.

There is information that the computers of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation were also attacked, but its representatives, like the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, deny the reports, stating that there is no virus in the internal networks.

The mobile operator Megafon previously reported about the virus attacks. According to numerous reports, not only Russian companies and organizations were attacked. Today, computers were infected in several hospitals in the UK, a little later the virus attacked the Spanish telecommunications operator Telefonica. An employee of Avast said that the attack affected Ukraine and Taiwan.

36,000 detections of #WannaCry (aka # WanaCypt0r aka #WCry ) #ransomware so far. Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan leading. This is huge. pic.twitter.com/EaZcaxPta4

- Jakub Kroustek (@JakubKroustek) May 12, 2017

Judging by the information available to specialists, infection of computers could occur through the "hole" available in the Windows operating system. Microsoft has released an update that fixes the bug in March, but, apparently, those who have the updates disabled, in the end, and were victims of a virus-extortioner.

The article is based on materials https://hi-news.ru/technology/kompyutery-mnogix-stran-podverglis-atakam-virusa-vymogatelya.html.