Impact of global cyberattack could strike Hong Kong on Monday morning, security experts warn
Britain’s public hospitals among highest-profile victims of global ransomware attack, with thousands of computers affected and more expected when people return to work after the weekend
A fast-moving and aggressive global cyberattack – the impact of which may be felt more keenly in Hong Kong on Monday morning when people return to work – has already affected almost 100 countries and hit the Asia region badly.
Britain’s public hospitals were among the highest-profile victims because the attack had profound life and death consequences.
Schools and universities on the mainland were also affected, state media reported.
Attley Ng, senior vice president of NSFOCUS Asia Pacific, a network security solutions company, said: “China was hit very hard. The attack was very widespread, especially in the higher learning and education sector, resulting in an almost complete paralysis of systems there.”
Others hit include Spain’s Telefonica, a global internet and telecommunications firm. The virus also affected production lines at carmakers Nissan and Renault, while the information screens at the stations of German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn were downed.
The pattern of attacks appeared to be random in nature and broadly spread among countries, government institutions, corporations and individuals.