A crypto-ransomware attack, named WannaCry, began in Europe and Asia over the weekend and has not hit the Southeast, as of yet.

Andrew Popowich is a technician at eBytes in Steinbach. Popowich says there was an eternal blue worm created by the National Security Agency (NSA) which took advantage of a vulnerability within Microsoft Windows. The worm was then taken by hackers and turned into a virus which encrypts files and holds them until a ransom is paid.

Popowich says there are some things to keep in mind to protect yourself from any virus.

"The best way to not get infected by this is to, number one, update your Windows [operating system], not open any emails from people that you don't know, and don't download any files that you don't know are legitimate. Just use common sense."

Popowich notes the virus is attacking mainly Windows-based computers, however, Mac files may be backed up on the Cloud which can become infected. He adds, to his knowledge, no one has gained their data back at this time. 

He says this crypto-ransomware attack continues to evolve and spread, although affected countries in Europe, Asia, and the United States are looking for solutions, ways to stop the spread of the virus, and who is ultimately responsible.