EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
A new major ransomware attack is rolling across the globe and leaving chaos in its wake, with Europe seeing the biggest hits initially–especially Ukraine. There, government ministries, banks, utilities, critical infrastructure and companies nationwide have been the targets. The state power distributor and the main airport in Kiev were the first to report issues.
Ransomware outbreaks were also hitting organizations in India and the US, including a major pharmaceutical firm. The attack, which does not seem to be targeting any one industry or country, is zeroing in on the same reported weaknesses from the WannyCry outbreak last month.
The malware believed to be in use is a variant of a strain first introduced last year called Petya, seen for sale, reportedly, on various forums in the past year for $28. That original malware has since been updated to overcome fixes that were put in place to protect against it. The new malware is called Petrwrap. At this point, it’s unclear which version might be the culprit.
