Belgian businesses hit by worldwide cyber-attack

Though the damage was limited, Belgium did not completely escape the effects of the latest global cyber-attack.

Petya ransomware installs software on a computer when the user clicks on a link. The software delivers an onscreen message saying that all the computer’s data has been encrypted and is irretrievable unless the user pays $300 in bitcoins.

The latest attack seems to have started in Ukraine, where it first hit the government’s computer system as well as software company MEDoc, which services the financial industry. In Belgium, Petya hit shipping terminal APM in Zeebrugge, while in Heist-op-den-Berg, work at the medicines producer MSD came to a standstill.

Operations also had to be halted at the Administrative Centre in the centre of Brussels. In Herentals, biscuit manufacturer Mondelez was hit, forcing management to send staff home until the problem was solved. The company posted on Twitter a note from managers to employees informing them of the situation – written in old-fashioned pen on paper.

Belgium’s Centre for Cyber Security advises users to always install security updates and to back-up important data to an external drive or online sites such as Dropbox. The latest Windows update and an anti-virus software, in fact, are enough to protect a computer from Petya, the agency said.

If Petya strikes, it strongly advises users to not shut down the computer, which wipes the hard drive. It also said to not pay the ransom, which in no way guarantees that the data will be released.