Holding the world to ransom

The WannaCry ransomware spread to hundreds of thousands around the globe, affecting single individuals and large organisations alike.

WannaCry was unleashed on the 12th of May in what has been described as the biggest worldwide cyberattack yet. The ‘cryptoworm’ spread incredibly fast, infecting more than 200,000 computers in over 150 countries within the first day alone. This particular brand of ransomware infiltrates the victim’s computer and encrypts data before displaying a message onscreen, demanding a payment of either $300 in bitcoin with a deadline of three days, or $600 for seven days. Many large companies were hit in the attack, but more disturbing is the number of government organisations that fell victim to WannaCry, including several state, official ministry offices, hospitals, universities and colleges, rail networks, police systems and security organisations. While new cases of infection have now slowed to a trickle — due to a kill switch having been discovered and infected computers receiving overdue updates — the worm has left a trail of destruction in its wake that will undoubtedly lead to many organisations rethinking their current digital security measures.