News outlets and cyber-security firms are reporting a massive outbreak of ransomware infections worldwide, in countries including the US, UK, Russia, China and others. Many hospitals across England and Scotland have been attacked and taken offline.
The ransomware instance called WannaCry and variants has been newly detected in tens of thousands of instances by cyber-security firm Kaspersky.
It is important that all PC users stay vigilant and not open any infected attachments or links. If you are uncertain about the validity of something received via email, do not open it. Instead, contact your IT department or outsourced IT firm and request guidance.
For reference:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39901382
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-cyber-idUSKBN1881TJ
http://www.zdnet.com/article/hospitals-across-england-hit-by-cyber-attack-systems-knocked-offline/