The Russian Interior Ministry has been hit by the massive cyberattack disrupting computers around the world on Friday.
Roughly 1,000 computers running Microsoft Windows were effected, less than 1 percent of all computers used by the minister, spokeswoman Irina Volk said according to Russian-state media.
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Ministry experts are working to remove the threat, and Volk said that the ministry’s servers are unaffected.
A massive ransomware attack hit dozens of countries on Friday, scrambling data and locking up computer files unless users pay $300 in the online currency bitcoin. Multiple reports say the ransomware, known as “WannaCry,” has crippled hospitals in the United Kingdom has infected computer systems used by critical systems and companies in nations across the world.
A Russian telecommunications operator, Megafon, confirmed it too was attacked.
Experts have believed the Microsoft Windows exploit, known as “EternalBlue,” was revealed as part of a leak by a hacking group, the Shadow Brokers, last month. Microsoft released a patch for the exploit in March, but only for computers running an OS newer than Windows 7. The company encouraged users with older versions “to ensure their computers are up-to-date.”
