A large-scale ransomware attack has ALREADY hit numerous countries, including England, Ukraine, India, the Netherlands, Spain, and Denmark.
It was initially believed to be a new form of a ransomware called Petya. Researchers have determined that it is an entirely new strain of ransomware dubbed "NotPetya".
So far, this attack has affected shipping giant, Maersk, and the radiation monitoring systems at the site of the Chernobyl disaster. Industries in Ukraine that have been affected are power grid companies, banks, the postal service, media outlets, and even cell providers.
Do you remember the WannaCry attacks a couple of months ago? Experts say this attack may be functioning just like the previous WannaCry attacks. Experts also warn that this attack may have a larger impact than Wannacry. Instead of locking certain files, Petya will lock the entire disk, potentially rendering it useless.
At this moment, it is unclear exactly where the attack originated or how it is spreading to other countries. It is possible that this attack began with a phishing campaign containing the updated version of Petya.
No matter what the type of strain the ransomware is, it is important to know what to do in the event of it happening to you.