Victorian businesses hit with ransomware in global Petya cyber attack

A GLOBAL cyber attack brought a group of Victorian businesses to a halt today, with some workers still unable to access infected computers.

Petya virus is the latest ransomware attack to spread across the globe. Picture: File photo

A GLOBAL cyber attack brought a group of Victorian businesses to a halt today, with companies still unable to access infected computers.

Just a month after the Wanna­Cry virus ran amok, another ransomware program, known as Petya, took hold of software systems in Australia, having spread from Europe.

The program makes the infected computer unusable and demands a $US300 bitcoin payment to unlock it.

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Mondelez International, owner of Cadbury and Kraft, said it was working to fix a global IT blackout, but not all of its production in Victoria had been affected.

“Our teams are working offline in an effort to maintain business continuity with our customers and consumers around the world,” a spokeswoman said.

“We will share updates with our suppliers and partners as they become available.

“At this time, we do not know when our systems will be restored but we appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding and partnership during this process.”

Staff told the Herald Sun they had been sent home from the company’s Melbourne headquarters because they were unable to use their computers.

Operations at the Cadbury’s Ringwood and Hobart factories were also affected but many workers were kept on site as management waited for a solution.

Staff at international law firm DLA Piper were urged not to turn on their computers, and delivery company TNT Express also confirmed computers were breached.

TNT Express spokeswoman Rachel Mason said the company was taking steps to limit interruptions to deliveries.

“Like many other companies, we’re experiencing interference with some of our systems in the TNT network,” she said. “We regret any inconvenience to our customers.”

Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security, Dan Tehan, said the global ransomware attack was another “wake-up call” to all Australian businesses.

“All businesses should immediately update their Windows operating system with the latest security patches and there are instructions on the Australian Cyber Security Centre website to do this,” he said.

“If your business has been infected you should isolate the affected computer from your network to prevent the software spreading and use backup data to restore information.”