Three ways the 'NotPetya' cyberattack is more complex than WannaCry

The WannaCry ransomware was barely out of the headlines when another cyberattack took down computer systems around the world.

This time, a piece of malware dubbed “NotPetya” is to blame. And unlike WannaCry, it has no clear “kill switch” as it spreads across infected networks.

NotPetya has reportedly hit several global organisations so far, including the American pharmaceutical company Merck and, in Australia, Cadbury.

The attack was initially classed as ransomware: malicious software that holds a user to ransom by encrypting their files and blocking access without a “key”. It was a reasonable assumption