Insurers remain on alert as security experts warn of a second wave of cyber-attacks following the ransomware assault that hit tens of thousands of computers worldwide over the weekend.
The ransomware called WannaCry has affected computer systems across the globe since Friday, locking down files on infected systems and demanding payments to regain access to data.
MalwareTech, the UK security researcher that helped limit the ransomware attack, told the BBC on Sunday that new attacks may be imminent.
“We have stopped this one, but there will be another one coming and it will not be stoppable by us,” the anonymous researcher warned.
“So there’s a good chance they are going to do it... maybe not this weekend, but quite likely on Monday morning.”
Becky Pinkard, of UK-based cybersecurity firm Digital Shadows, also told the AFP: “Even if a fresh attack does not materialise on Monday, we should expect it soon afterwards.”
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) also warned that existing infections from the malware can spread within networks.
“This means that as a new working week begins it is likely, in the UK and elsewhere, that further cases of ransomware may come to light, possibly at a significant scale,” the NCSC said on its website.
Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union’s police agency (Europol), has revealed to various news agencies that the recent cyber-attack hit 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries.
Wainwright expressed fear that the number would grow when people return to work on Monday.
“The global reach is unprecedented. The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries, and those victims, many of those will be businesses, including large corporations,” he told ITV, as quoted in a report by Reuters.
“At the moment, we are in the face of an escalating threat. The numbers are going up, I am worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn (on) their machines on Monday morning.”
Wainwright told the BBC that the cyber incident was an “indiscriminate attack across the world on multiple industries and services,” including the UK’s National Health Service.
