Three ways the "NotPetya" cyberattack is more complex than WannaCry |
The WannaCry ransomware was barely out of the headlines when another cyberattack took down computer systems around the world.
Haskell-Dowland PS (Dowland PS)
This time, a piece of malware dubbed “NotPetya†is to blame. And unlike WannaCry, it has no clear “kill switch†as it spreads across infected networks.
NotPetya has reportedly hit several global organisations so far, including the American pharmaceutical company Merck and, in Australia, Cadbury.
The attack was initially classed as ransomware: malicious software that holds a user to ransom by encrypting their files and blocking access without a “keyâ€. It was a reasonable assumption given the threatening message displayed to victims – but the picture is more complicated.
NotPetya is distinct from WannaCry in a number of important ways – particularly, money doesn’t seem to be its end goal.