The ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. Photo: AFPWashington: The ‘ransomware’ cyberattack that has hit as many as 200,000 victims in over 150 countries should be treated by governments around the world as a “wake- up call”, IT giant Microsoft has said. The virus exploits a flaw in a version of Microsoft Windows first identified by US intelligence. The National Security Agency (NSA) alerted Microsoft about the issue three months ago and Microsoft released an upgrade that patched the flaw, but many users were yet to run it, CNN reported. “The governments of the world should treat this attack as a wake-up call,” Smith wrote while also noting how “cybersecurity has become a shared responsibility between tech companies and customers.”But he also blamed the governments.

Source: Mint May 15, 2017 06:00 UTC