WannaCry Update: Honda Finds Malware in Networks; Shuts Down Japan Factory
The havoc caused by the massive WannaCry malware attack is not over yet as Honda's networks have reportedly been infected, which forced the company to shut down a Japan factory earlier this week.
The Japanese automobile maker has confirmed Wednesday that they had to suspend the production activities at a local factory recently due to an apparent WannaCry malware attack, Reuters reported.
The affected factory is situated in the northwestern part of Tokyo, in a location known as Sayama. This automobile plant manufactures as many as 1,000 vehicles, some of which are the sedan model Accord, the minivan Odyssey, and the Step Wagon.
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Operations at the Sayama plant were temporarily stopped Monday but the assembly lines were up and running again the following day.
While the factory shutdown only occurred in Japan, the malware attack happened on a much larger scale. A spokesperson from Honda confirmed that the WannaCry ransomware had affected Honda's networks in several regions, including North America, China, and Europe.
Honda reportedly took precautionary measures to secure their cyber network after learning that the WannaCry ransomware had affected other large private corporations' networks across the globe last month. However, those efforts were still overrun by the cyber attackers.
It can be recalled that the WannaCry ransomware attack has been one of the massive cyber security breaches on a global scale. It was estimated that up to 200,000 computers were compromised across 150 countries.
There have been reports that the WannaCry ransomware was first created with the help of exploits in the supposed National Security Agency's "stockpile" of computer vulnerabilities which the attackers were able to hack.
As the story developed, security analysts found traces that linked the WannaCry attack to a notorious group of hackers called Lazarus, which is based in North Korea.
The networks of some private corporations and public institutions have also fallen prey to the attack. In the United Kingdom, the medical records of up to 1,100 citizens were lost after WannaCry made its way to the computer system of its National Health Services.
