'WannaCry' ransomware hits 200K computers; experts say more victims likely

And the Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center said 2,000 computers in Japan were reported affected so far, citing an unnamed affiliate foreign security organization.

"This is an emerging pattern in 2017", Smith, who is also chief legal officer, says in a Microsoft company blog post.

As the effects of the WannaCry global ransomware attack continue to be felt, there is evidence emerging that the hackers are not decrypting the files of victims who chose to pay the USA $300 ransom.

In the US, where the effects haven't appeared to be widespread, investigators believe additional companies have been attacked but have not yet come forward to report it, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

With the amount of time spent on research against spyware attacks, it wouldn't be surprising to still witness something similar to the WannaCry ransomware due to the recent news about stolen NSA tools for public surveillance.

Experts urged organizations and companies to immediately update older Microsoft operating systems, such as Windows XP, with a patch released by the company.

Overall, hundreds of thousands of computers at almost 30,000 institutions and organisations were affected, including government agencies and hospitals, internet firm 360 Security said.

Carney: UK's consumer slowdown has begun
Inflation in March was at 2.3%, according to the Office for National Statistics, above the bank's target of 2%. USA academic Kristin Forbes, who leaves the MPC at the end of June, again voted to raise rates to 0.5 percent.

Mr Smith argued that in cyberspace, governments should apply rules such as those regarding weapons in the physical world.

Former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden echoed that criticism on Twitter.

The WannaCry malware that spread to more than 100 countries in a few hours is throwing up several surprises for cybersecurity researchers, including how it gained its initial foothold, how it spread so fast and why the hackers are not making much money from it. "There's no waving that away".

Indian businesses, organisations and financial institutions largely escaped the impact of WannaCry malware attack, though India was the third most affected after Russian Federation and Ukraine. Security agencies in affected countries were racing to find out. The VEP was established to determine whether the government should withhold or disclose information about computer software security vulnerabilities. Now, Microsoft is putting the blame for this attack directly on the governments who hid security flaws for their own benefit. One did not include the so-called kill switch that allowed researchers to interrupt the malware's spread Friday by diverting it to a dead end on the internet. However, as of this morning, there haven't been any signs of widespread renewed activity.

"The numbers are still going up", Wainwright said.

Microsoft doesn't support its deprecated operating systems except through special agreements from customers such as the US Navy that still uses Windows XP (It may be high time they upgraded).

It appears the people behind that attack, who have not yet been identified, earned about $26,000, reports Krebs on Security. Microsoft had issued a patch on March 14, but many computers hadn't run the update. "As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, there is simply no way for customers to protect themselves against threats unless they update their systems".

Related News:

Jose Mourinho: Manchester United "fight for titles",
United will receive 6.5 million euros in prize money if they win the Europa League and 3.5 million euros if they lose the final. Both are bound to draw in large audiences and will be available to watch for free online.

Four spot no influence on Arsenal - Wenger in latest future hint
But now we have three games and we have to give everything, like we did today, to try and get everything out of all the games. "That will be four points more than previous year , so let's focus on finishing as well as we can".

Jefferies Group LLC Reiterates Hold Rating for Walt Disney Co (DIS)
The established market sentiment toward the stock has created a trading environment which can suitably be described as downbeat. Before that, quarter ending December 2016, The Walt Disney Company also surprised analysts by beating the consensus estimate.
Gillespie Robinson & Grimm Inc. Decreases Position in Wells Fargo & Co
In other news, Director Ronald Sargent purchased 9,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 5th. The High Revenue estimate is predicted as 22.86 Billion, while the Low Revenue Estimate prediction stands at 22.04 Billion.

17 May 2017

F.N.B. Corp (FNB) Stake Boosted by Profund Advisors LLC
Heading into the stock price potential, Axsome Therapeutics needs to grow just 393.83% to cross its median price target of $20. Recently analysts working for various investment brokerages have changed their ratings and price targets on shares of F.N.B.

17 May 2017

Fla.'s Housing Market: Sales, Median Prices Up in 1Q 2017
The HAI measures the percentage of all households that can afford to purchase a median-priced, single-family home in California. The outlook is slightly brighter for LA County buyers investing in a starter home.
17 May 2017

Pottstown School Board to vote on $62M budget with no tax hike
Voters will be asked tomorrow whether they support the 2017-18 Batavia City Schools budget, with a spending plan of $49,870,585. But Hynes says most citizens don't bother to vote on the budget, with turnout usually between ten and twenty percent.

17 May 2017

Governor McAuliffe moves to regulate power plant emissions
D'Onofrio said. "Meanwhile the free market has led to significant year-over-year reduction in Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.

17 May 2017

Terry mulls retirement after Sunderland match
The Premier League trophy will be presented following Chelsea's final match of the season on Sunday. If your head and body are telling you to play on, then it's right to continue trying.
17 May 2017

'We will get it done': Trump on Israeli-Palestinian peace deal
Despite the lack of specifics, Abbas described his meeting with Trump as positive and said that "we build hopes on it". Hamas, which seized Gaza from Abbas in 2007, has dismissed his strategy of negotiations as a waste of time.

Number of Australian businesses hit by cyber attack rises
The 22-year-old told the BBC: "We have stopped this one, but there will be another one coming and it will not be stoppable by us". Among those hit were Russia's Interior Ministry and companies including Spain's Telefonica and FedEx in the US.

17 May 2017

YouTube TV fleshes out its lineup with AMC, BBC America, and more
The cord-cutting plan, which launched last month in select USA cities, will also include NBC Universo, SundanceTV, We TV and IFC. Hulu made deals with 21st Century Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Scripps Networks for its $39.99 plan.