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| Many firms hit by global cyber-attacks | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Firms around the globe are reporting that they have been hit by a major cyber-attack. | |
| British advertising agency WPP is among dozens of firms reporting problems. | |
| Ukrainian firms, including the state power distributor and Kiev's main airport were among the first to report issues. | |
| Some experts are suggesting that it could be a ransomware attack, similar to Wannacry which hit last month. | |
| Alan Woodward, a computer scientist at Surrey University, said: "It appears to be a variant of a piece of ransomware that emerged last year. | |
| "It was updated earlier in 2017 by the criminals when certain aspects were defeated. The ransomware was called Petya and the updated version Petrwap." | |
| A Swiss government agency has also reported that it has seen signs of Petya circulating again. | |
| Network down | |
| Others reporting problems include the Ukrainian central bank, the aircraft manufacturer Antonov, and two postal services. | |
| Russian oil producer Rosneft and Danish shipping company Maersk also say they face disruption, including its offices in the UK and Ireland. | Russian oil producer Rosneft and Danish shipping company Maersk also say they face disruption, including its offices in the UK and Ireland. |
| "We can confirm that Maersk IT systems are down across multiple sites and business units due to a cyber-attack," the Copenhagen-headquartered firm said via Twitter. | "We can confirm that Maersk IT systems are down across multiple sites and business units due to a cyber-attack," the Copenhagen-headquartered firm said via Twitter. |
| "We continue to assess the situation. The safety of our employees, our operations and customers' business is our top priority." | "We continue to assess the situation. The safety of our employees, our operations and customers' business is our top priority." |
| Spanish media reports that the offices of large multinationals such as food giant Mondelez and legal firm DLA Piper have suffered attacks. | Spanish media reports that the offices of large multinationals such as food giant Mondelez and legal firm DLA Piper have suffered attacks. |
| And French construction materials company St Gobain has said that it is also fallen victim. | |
| Some are speculating that it is a similar ransomware assault to the massive global Wannacry virus, which hit in May. | Some are speculating that it is a similar ransomware assault to the massive global Wannacry virus, which hit in May. |
| Ukraine seems to have been particularly badly hit. | Ukraine seems to have been particularly badly hit. |
| Reports suggest that the Kiev metro system has stopped accepting payment cards while several chains of petrol stations have suspended operations. | Reports suggest that the Kiev metro system has stopped accepting payment cards while several chains of petrol stations have suspended operations. |
| Ukraine's deputy prime minister has tweeted a picture appearing to show government systems have been affected. | Ukraine's deputy prime minister has tweeted a picture appearing to show government systems have been affected. |
| His caption reads: "Ta-daaa! Network is down at the Cabinet of Minister's secretariat." | His caption reads: "Ta-daaa! Network is down at the Cabinet of Minister's secretariat." |