The cyberattack that spread malicious software around the world, shutting down networks at hospitals, banks and government agencies, was stemmed by a young British researcher and an low-cost domain registration, with help from another 20-something security engineer in the U.S.
"The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex global investigation to identify the culprits", said Europol, Europe's policing agency.
The extortion attack, which locked up computers and held users' files for ransom, is believed to be the biggest of its kind ever recorded, disrupting services in nations as diverse as the US, Russia, Ukraine, Spain and India.
It encrypts files on a user's computer, blocking them from view, before demanding money, via an on-screen message, to access them again.
Cybersecurity firm Avast said it had identified more than 75,000 ransomware attacks in 99 countries on Friday, making it one of the broadest and most damaging cyberattacks in history.
In the wake of the attack, Microsoft said it had taken the "highly unusual step" of releasing a patch for computers running older operating systems including Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003.
Eisen says the internet itself is diseased and these attacks will continue until some serious restructuring is done.
"We are aware of widespread speculation about the use of Microsoft Windows XP by NHS organisations, who commission IT systems locally depending on population need".
Only a small number of USA -headquartered organizations were hit because the hackers appear to have begun the campaign by targeting organizations in Europe, said Thakur.
Experts say the virus, called Wanna Decryptor, exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software, which was identified by the US National Security Agency (NSA).
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Graham was unavailable for comment on the Time article, a spokesman told Baptist Press. Christopher Coons of DE joined Lankford as the lead Democratic sponsor of the measure.
"The fact that so many organizations were vulnerable to this was quite a surprise", cyber expert and CEO of Capital Alpha Security in the U.K. Matt Tait told NPR. "We are still in the analysis phase".
French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France, Slovenia and Romania, saying the measure was aimed at stopping the virus from spreading.
In an update after midnight local time, Russia's Interior Ministry acknowledged to state-run Tass media that its computers had also been hit. But it appears to be "low-level" stuff, Eisen said Saturday, given the amount of ransom demanded - $300 at first, rising to $600 before it destroys files hours later. Some Italian universities were hit.
It was reported yesterday (Friday, May 12) that hospitals - including Watford General, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans - had been facing issues with their phone and computer systems.
A young cybersecurity researcher has been credited with helping to halt the spread of the global ransomware cyberattack by accidentally activating a so-called "kill switch" in the malicious software.
The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading, though it can not help computers already affected. The Shadow Brokers group, which is suspected of having ties to Russian Federation, posted Windows hacking tools last month. "So this attack is raising one of these fundamental issues that we talk about in the security world, about whether NSA surveillance protects people or creates unexpected damage that does more harm than good".
Further information is available at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-your-organisation-ransomwareAny organisations who believe they may be victims of cyber-attack are urged to contact to the police immediately at 101 or via the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on the PSNI Website or alternatively through Action Fraud 0300 1232040.
Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries were to commit on Saturday to joining forces to fight the growing threat of global cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Italy.
They said cyber incidents represent a growing threat to their economies and should be tackled as a priority.
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