New ransomware, Petwrap, hits India, other countries; Indian shipping hub impacted

Remember the ransomware WannaCry that hit the globe last month? Well, a new ransomware has yet again hit several countries, locking up computer screens of as many as 20 companies across the world.

Petwrap, dubbed as an advanced version of ransomware Petya, has targeted users across India and Europe and shipping, aviation and oil and gas companies have been hit in the UK, Russia, France, Spain and elsewhere.

Petwrap is believed to be asking for $300 to free up the locked computer screens.

Mondelez, Merck and Maersk were targeted by the ransomware. As per several reports, Indian units of UK and Russia-based oil and gas, energy and aviation companies were also hit.

A Mondelez International spokesperson said, "The network is experiencing global IT outage. Our team is working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, Neeraj Bansal, deputy chairman of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust said the operations at Gateway Terminals India, operated by Maersk Group-owned APM Terminals at the Mumbai-based port, has been impacted. "They are trying to do what they can manually. They have told us assessing the situation and trying to find a solution as soon as they can," Bansal told ET.