Ransomware virus hits computer servers across Europe

Reuters - A major ransomware attack on Tuesday (June 27)  hit computers at Russia's biggest oil company, the country's banks, Ukraine's international airport as well as global shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk.

Moscow-based cyber security firm Group IB said hackers had exploited code developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) which was leaked and then used in the WannaCry ransomware attack that caused global disruption in May.

One of the victims of Tuesday's cyber attack, a Ukrainian media company, said its computers were blocked and it had received a demand for $300 worth of the Bitcoin crypto-currency to restore access to its files.

"If you see this text, then your files are no longer accessible, because they have been encrypted. Perhaps you are busy looking for a way to recover your files, but don't waste your time. Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service," the message said, according to a screenshot posted by Ukraine's Channel 24.

The same message appeared on computers at Maersk offices in Rotterdam, according to screenshots posted on local media.

The Danish shipping giant said it had been hit across multiple regions by a computer outage. "We can confirm the breakdown is caused by a cyber attack," a spokeswoman said.

Other companies that said they had been hit by a presumed cyber attack included Russian metal maker Evraz, French construction materials firm Saint Gobain and the world's biggest advertising agency, WPP - though it was not clear if their problems were caused by the same virus.

Food company Mondelez International also said its staff in different regions were experiencing technical problems. (ontinueReading