Massive Ransomware Attack Results in 45,000 Infections in 74 Countries, Says Kaspersky Lab

A massive worldwide ransomware attack called "WannaCry" resulted in more than 45,000 infections in 74 countries, mostly in Russia, said cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab in a Friday blog post. It said Spain's Computer Emergency Response Team CCN-CERT posted a notification that several organizations in that country were affected, plus 16 National Health Service organizations in the U.K., according to the post. Ukraine and India also were affected, but Kaspersky didn't mention the U.S. "It’s important to note that our visibility may be limited and incomplete and the range of targets and victims is likely much, much higher," said Kaspersky. It said the malware encrypts files and drops and executes a decryptor tool. "The request for $600 in Bitcoin is displayed along with the wallet," said the post. "It’s interesting that the initial request in this sample is for $600 USD, as the first five payments to that wallet is approximately $300 USD. It suggests that the group is increasing the ransom demands."