Europol says global reach of massive cyberattack ‘unprecedented’

The unprecedented global ransomware cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in more than 150 countries, says Europol executive director Rob Wainwright.

The head of the pan-European Union policing agency says that few had given in to the demands for payment to unblock files so far, but warns that the situation was escalating.

Wainwright says he is worried that the ransomware attack might spread further once people return to work on Monday and log on to their computers.

“We are running around 200 global operations against cyber crime each year but we’ve never seen anything like this,” he tells Britain’s ITV television. “The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations.

“The global reach is unprecedented,” Wainwright says. “We’re in the face of an escalating threat, the numbers are going up,” he adds.

He says the motivation remains unknown but ransomware attacks are normally “criminally minded.”

— AFP