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Multiple business across the globe fell victim to a cyber attack today, with reports of companies in the UK, Ukraine, US and Russia being targeted.

The cyber attack that struck those businesses today was a ransomware attack – a form of malware that covertly installs itself on unprotected computers.

Ransomware usually does not inflict direct damage to computers, but rather holds key files and data ransom in exchange for money.

Photographs of what appear to be computers infected with the malware show a message demanding a £235 ($300) payment to a specified Bitcoin wallet address.

The message reads: “If you see this text, then your files are no longer accessible, because they have been encrypted.”

How to protect yourself from ransomware attacks?

Kaspersky Labs have recommeded today that companies keep their opening systems up to date with the latest version of Windows.

The company said in a statement: “We advise all companies to update their Windows software, to check their security solution and ensure they have back pup and ransomware detection in place.”

Jeffrey Esposito of Kaspersky anti-virus also recommends that everyone backs up their files “religiously” The cyber attack crippled businesses and companies across the world

“You can do this to the cloud or to an external device,” he advised in a February blog post. “I do both, but remember if you are logged in or the external drive is connected, ransomware can lock them as well.”

You are also advised to install antivirus software that will constantly monitor your computer for potential threats and harmful files.

But having anti-virus software is not always a surefire solution, and in the first stages of the global cyber attack, only a handful of anti-virus softwares could detect the threat.

According to virus analysis tool VirusTotal, only 31 out of 61 registered anti-virus tools are currently picking up the harmful threat.

 
If you are infected with ransomware and have not backed up your files, please do not pay the ransom

Jeffrey Esposito, Kaspersky

But the good news is that these numbers are on the rise, as cyber security companies respond to the virus with security patches.

“Don’t open attachments from unknown senders,” Mr Esposito added. “Be selective about who you trust in terms of opening documents and clicking links that came via e-mail.”

“If you are infected with ransomware and have not backed up your files, please do not pay the ransom.

“Instead visit No More Ransom, our collaborative project with law enforcement agencies and even some competitors to help eradicate ransomware.” Ransomware demands a payment in exchange for access to your files

Ransomware heavily relies on people not taking precautions when handling suspicious links or files.

Patrick Dennis, CEO of Guidance Software, revealed today that one in four organisations have suffered financial losses due to cyber breaches in their systems.

“Companies increasingly understand there is a known cost factor with breaches and that they live in a world of continuous compromise,” he said.

“Attacks like WannaCry and Petya are examples of why so many companies are turning their attention to building up incident response technologies and teams." BT deal will boost your home broadband for a much lower price WhatsApp has just fixed a major problem for Android and iPhone Google Pixel Slate release - Google announces huge iPad rival