WannaCry now forces LG to shut down its systems

WannaCry ransomware attack caused chaos all around the globe as it severely infected hospitals, caused manufacturing shutdowns, headaches for Microsoft, and overtime for cyber security professionals.

While the hackers behind the malware have been on a notorious spree, there was news that the malware had been contained. Reportedly, the vulnerability was patched by Microsoft shortly after the outburst.

However, as everyone thought that the WannaCry attack had ended, South Korean electronics manufacturer LG was yet again hit by the ransomware. The attack was made on the network operated by the company in the domestic market and was shut down due to WannaCry infection.

And just to recall, WannaCry is a form of ransomware that exploits Windows system. It basically encrypts all the files on the computer and also denies the user access to the system.

Coming back to LG, such attack had never occurred on the company's systems. But this time a self-service kiosk operated by the company in South Korea was compromised with WannaCry.

Currently, there is no information on how WannaCry reached LG's computers but the investigation is in the process. While the investigation goes on, it is yet to be determined as to how many computers in LG's network were compromised. The company did decide to shut down a number of systems to prevent the ransomware from spreading further.

As per reports, LG blocked access to the service center where the malware first appeared. Thankfully, no data was encrypted and LG stated that no ransom was paid.

"We analyzed the malicious code that caused delays at some service centers on Aug 14th with the help of KISA [Korea Internet & Security Agency] and confirmed that it was indeed ransomware. According to KISA, yes it was the ransomware known as WannaCry," a company spokesperson said.

LG is yet to determine how exactly the ransomware took down the systems. As per speculations, some of the company's computers weren't running the latest updates from Microsoft and thus was vulnerable to ransomware infection.