Breaking News: Massive ransomware attack hits 74 countries

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Didn't see any of mention of this breaking news.  This is an ongoing attack according to several news organizations.

 

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Tens of thousands of ransomware attacks are targeting organizations around the world on Friday.

Security firm Kaspersky Lab has recorded more than 45,000 attacks in 74 countries in the past 10 hours. Most of the attacks have targeted Russia.

What is it?

The ransomware, called "WannaCry," locks down all the files on an infected computer and asks the computer's administrator to pay in order to regain control of them. Researchers say it is spreading through a Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) Windows exploit called "EternalBlue," which Microsoft released a patch for in March. A hacking group leaked the exploit in a trove of other NSA spy tools last month.

"Affected machines have six hours to pay up and every few hours the ransom goes up," said Kurt Baumgartner, the principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab. "Most folks that have paid up appear to have paid the initial $300 in the first few hours."

Sixteen National Health Service (NHS) organizations in the UK have been hit, and some of thosehospitals have canceled outpatient appointments and told people to avoid emergency departments if possible. Spanish telecom company Telefónica was also hit with the ransomware.

Source CNN