On Saturday, May 13, 2017 hackers attacked computers around the world using a special kind of virus called “ransomware”. Ransomware is not new technology, but the recent attacks were some of the largest and most damaging ever. There were an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 victims, including major companies and organizations.

Ransomware does not simply steal data or personal information from computers. Instead, it “ransoms” the data by blocking the computer’s owner from accessing it until the owner pays a fee. The hacker can delete the data completely if the owner does not pay the ransom.

Saturday’s attacks affected a wide range of people and organizations including banks, hospitals, government agencies, and universities. In the UK, ransomware blocked doctors from opening patient histories and information. In China, it deleted university students’ reports and research. In Japan, it prevented Hitachi employees from using their company email. Hitachi has also reported that the virus is still affecting their system for receiving orders.

Ransomware attacks are becoming more common. According to industry reports, ransomware attacks have increased by 50% over the last year. One reason is that the viruses are easy to create. In some cases, hackers create viruses and sell them. That means even people with no hacking skills can launch an attack. The ransoms are paid in an electronic money called Bitcoin. Bitcoin is not easy to track, so hackers can collect money without being caught.

The virus used in the attacks on Saturday was particularly dangerous because its creators designed it to spread quickly from one computer to another. No one needs to open a file for it to start affecting a computer. Instead it can move through a network by itself. The attacks have shown major problems in organizations’ computer systems. Although Microsoft offered a way to prevent ransomware attacks in April, many organizations have old systems or did not use the protection.

After the attacks, a young researcher was able to slow down the spread of the virus. He was looking for a way to track the spread of the virus, and accidentally found a way to stop it. However, he and other security experts warn that new versions of the virus are likely to appear because, according to the researcher, “it’s not much effort for them to change the code and start over”. Experts are warning people and companies to make sure their information is secure and to back up any important data.

On Saturday, May 13, 2017 hackers attacked computers around the world. They used a special kind of virus called “ransomware”. Ransomware is not new, but the recent attacks were much bigger than before. The virus attacked about 200,000 to 300,000 computers.

Ransomware does not just take data or personal information from computers. It “ransoms” the data. That means it stops the computer’s owner from using the data until the owner pays money. The hackers can delete the data if the owner does not pay the ransom.

On May 13th, hackers attacked a wide range of people and organizations with the virus. In the UK, the ransomware stopped doctors from opening patient information. In China, it deleted university students’ reports and research. In Japan, it stopped Hitachi employees from using their email. Hitachi also reported that they are having problems with their system for receiving orders because of the virus.

Ransomware attacks are more and more common. Reports say that ransomware attacks have gone up by 50% over the last year. One reason is that it is easy for hackers to make these viruses. In some cases, hackers make viruses and sell them. That means even people with no hacking skills can start a virus attack. The ransoms are paid in an electronic money called Bitcoin. It’s difficult for police to find Bitcoin payments. So attackers can get money and the police cannot catch them.

The virus used in the attacks on Saturday was very dangerous. The virus can move from one computer to another by itself: No one needs to download or open the virus for it to start attacking the computer. The attacks have shown major problems in organizations’ computer systems. Microsoft offered a way to stop ransomware attacks in April, but many organizations have old systems or did not take Microsoft’s help.

After the attacks, a young researcher was able to slow down the virus. He was looking for a way to follow the movement of the virus. He accidentally noticed a way to stop it. However, he said that new attacks will probably happen. It’s not difficult for hackers to change the virus a little and start new attacks. Computer researchers say people and companies should make sure their information is secure and also save copies of all important data.