DLA Piper, a global law firm with offices in the UK, and Merck, a Netherlands-based pharmaceutical company, have both confirmed that they have been hit by the Petya ransomware.
The confirmations come as reports are surfacing of the first instance of the attack in Israel. The most affected countries so far are Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Italy, Germany and Belarus, according to a researcher at Kaspersky.
Software giant Microsoft is investigating reports into Tuesday’s attack of the encrypting virus Petya, which attacked computers in various countries worldwide earlier in the day, Microsoft press secretary in Russia Kristina Davydova said.
"Microsoft antivirus software finds this ransomware and protects against it," TASS cited Davydova as saying.
"We continue our investigation and our support teams worldwide are ready to promptly respond to affected users," Davydova added.
According to the preliminary data of the Group-IB internet security company, the virus has attacked about 80 organizations in Russia and Ukraine. The malware blocks computers and prevents users from uploading an operating system. The virus extorts a $300 ransom in bitcoins for the resumption of work and file-decrypting.
