Cyberattacks Hit Global Companies in Europe
June 27 2017 - 11:33AM
Dow Jones News
By David Gauthier-Villars and Michael Amon
Global businesses, including shipping giant A.P. Moeller-Maersk
A/S, advertising firm WPP Group PLC and Russian oil company PAO
Rosneft, reported significant cyberattacks Tuesday against their
computer systems.
It was unclear how, or if, the attacks were related, but they
spread simultaneously across Europe -- with some early reports of
affected companies in the U.S. -- on the heels of a global attack
in May. That virus, dubbed WannaCry, inflicted most of its damage
on European businesses and institutions.
The WannaCry malware locked computer systems that were old or
weren't adequately patched, demanding ransom. The attack hit
hospitals in the U.K., car factories in France and smaller
businesses across the continent.
An adviser to Ukraine's interior minister said a version of the
WannaCry virus had hit government computer systems in that country
on Tuesday, Reuters reported, though the government said shortly
after the nation's most critical systems were safe.
The extent of the operational disruption was unclear at the
affected companies.
Russia's state-controlled oil company, PAO Rosneft, said it was
under a "massive hacker attack" that could have serious
consequences but said its oil production hadn't been affected.
Rosneft, the world's largest publicly listed oil company by
production, said it had contacted law-enforcement authorities about
the attack. The company's website was down on Tuesday, but its
official Twitter accounts spread news of the attack.
The company said it had recently switched to a different oil
reserve-control system, so "neither oil production nor preparation
processes were stopped."
Rosneft produces over 4 million barrels of oil every day on
average, making it the biggest producer in a country that pumps
more crude oil than any other.
Denmark's shipping giant Maersk said Tuesday that its computer
systems had been brought down by a cyberattack. The breakdown is
affecting multiple computer systems across several business units,
a Maersk spokeswoman said, adding the company was assessing the
situation. The company runs Maersk Line the world's largest
container operator by capacity.
The spokeswoman said she couldn't provide details on how the
computer outage was affecting the company's flagship business,
Maersk Line, the world's largest container operator by
capacity.
WPP, the London based advertising conglomerate, said its I.T.
systems across several companies were affected by a "suspected
cyber attack" on Tuesday.
"We are taking appropriate measures [and] will update asap," the
advertising company said in a tweet.
Write to David Gauthier-Villars at
David.Gauthier-Villars@wsj.com and Michael Amon at
michael.amon@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 27, 2017 11:18 ET (15:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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