Global Cyber Attack Cripples British Hospitals
A ransomware attack spread across international borders, but had the biggest effects on the United Kingdom's National Health System
- Bethania Palma for Snopes May 12th, 2017
- Source: http://www.snopes.com/2017/05/12/cyber-attack-british-hospitals/
A massive cyberattack galloped across international borders on 12 May 2017, crippling such vital organizations as Telefonica (a telecom company in Spain), Britain’s network of hospitals run by the National Health Service (NHS), and the Russian Interior Ministry. A live graphic of the malware’s spread generated by MalwareTech.com showed it propagate rapidly through Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.
The attack utilized a type of malware called ransomware, which blocks users from accessing their own computer systems by encrypting their files and demanding payment (in Bitcoin) to release them.
