勒索病毒 (lèsuǒ bìngdú): Ransomware

Since last Friday, there have been a total of at least 200,000 victims in 150 countries after the unprecedented spread of a computer virus called "WannaCry".

The ransomware locked up computers connected to the internet, especially the intranets in car factories, hospitals, shops and schools in several countries, encrypting data and demanding bitcoin payments of up to $600 to unlock the computers.

Although computer security agencies have taken measures to respond to the computer virus, it continues to spread.

Experts say that in China, colleges and gas stations have been among the hardest hit. Schools, especially colleges where a lot of students live on campus with their personal computers and laptops connected to the campus intranet, have proved especially vulnerable.

On Monday, some government organizations, such as the Zhuhai Housing Provident Fund Management Center, were forced to suspend operations because their computers were infected with the virus.

The ransomware used the EternalBlue exploit developed by the US National Security Agency that was stolen by the hackers.