‘WannaCry’ hits more computers in Asia, Europe

The worldwide “ransomware” cyberattack spread to thousands of more computers on Monday as people logged in at work, disrupting business, schools, hospitals and daily life, though no new large-scale breakdowns were reported.

In Britain, some hospitals and doctors’ offices were still struggling to recover. The full extent of the damage from the cyberattack felt in 150 countries was unclear and could worsen if more malicious variations of the online extortion scheme appear.

The initial attack, known as “WannaCry,” paralysed computers running factories, banks, government agencies and transport systems in scores of countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain, India and Japan, among others. Among those hit were Russia’s interior ministry and companies including Spain’s Telefonica and FedEx Corp in the US.

Carmaker Renault said one of its French plants, which employs 3,500 people, wasn’t reopening Monday as technicians dealt with the cyberattack’s aftermath. The temporary halt in production was a “preventative step,” Renault said.

The Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center said 2,000 computers at 600 locations in Japan were reported affected. Companies including Hitachi and Nissan Motor Co reported problems but said they said had not seriously affected their business operations.

Chinese state media said 29,372 institutions there had been infected along with hundreds of thousands of devices. Universities and other educational institutions in China were among the hardest hit, possibly because schools tend to have old computers and be slow to update operating systems and security, said Fang Xingdong, founder of ChinaLabs, an internet strategy think tank. Railway stations, mail delivery, gas stations and hospitals were affected.