BEIJING (Sputnik) — The new ransomware dubbed Green Hat does not allow users to launch the computer’s operating system, Cheetah Mobile said. Instead, an account number for the local messenger QQ pops up as a contact, where users could pay a fee to access their computer.
"There is no need to panic. The new malware has not spread wildly in China. As long as users fortify their firewalls and anti-virus software settings as soon as possible, there is no need to be worried about the 'Green Hat,’" a researcher from Cheetah Mobile Li Tiejun explained, as quoted by CGTN.
In May, a cyberattack by malicious software called WannaCry affected, among other institutions and organizations, the UK public health system NHS, the German state rail company Deutsche Bahn, the Russian Interior Ministry and banks. The virus blocked computers with messages flashing on the screen demanding money to remove the restriction. According to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), some 200,000 computers across 150 countries were hit by ransomware cyberattacks.
