Petya ransomware continues to clog up port systems,major networks

LONDON: A cyberattack similar to WannaCry entered its second day, hitting businesses, port operators and government systems across the globe, with companies struggling to retake control of their networks.

AP Moller-Maersk A/S shut down systems across its operations to contain the cyber attack against its computer network, as it assesses the full impact. BNP Paribas SA’s non-banking Real Estate unit was also hit, while a number of WPP Plc companies continue to be affected by the cyber attack, Chief Executive Officer Martin Sorrell and John Seifert, CEO of the ad giant’s Ogilvy & Mather unit, said in memo to staff.

Package delivery company FedEx Corp said on Wednesday operations of its TNT Express unit were disrupted after being hit by an information system virus attack. TNT Express operations and communications systems were disrupted but no data breach was known to have occurred, FedEx said in a statement.

Hamburg-based Beiersdorf AG, the maker of Nivea and Labello lip balm, said its central office and all worldwide sites were affected. The cyber-attack began in Ukraine on Tuesday, infecting computer networks and demanding $300 in crypto currency to unlock their systems.

As of Midday Tuesday in North America, Kaspersky Lab analysts said about 2,000 users had been attacked, with organisations in Russia and Ukraine the most affected.

“Our portal is down and we are not able to take on new orders until we get it back up,” Maersk Line Chief Commercial Officer Vincent Clerc said by phone, declining to say when systems would return to normal.

“We’re being very cautious to ensure that as we bring the applications back up, the attack is contained and rolled back. It limits the accessibility we have at the moment.”

The attacks had a limited impact in Asia. While there were early signs the virus was starting to spread in China, no large-scale outbreak was detected, according to Zheng Wenbin, chief security engineer at Qihoo 360 Technology Co.