FedEx delivery unit hit by worldwide cyberattack

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A FedEx subsidiary had its delivery and communications disrupted by the wave of cyberattacks that have targeted dozens of businesses around the world.

The multinational shipping company announced Wednesday that its subsidiary, TNT Express, was “significantly affected” by the virus that has crippled computer systems in Europe, Asia and the United States.

“While TNT Express operations and communications systems have been disrupted, no data breach is known to have occurred,” FedEx said in a statement on its website Wednesday. “TNT Express domestic country and regional network services are largely operational, but slowed. We are also experiencing delays in TNT Express inter-continental services at this time.”

The company said that all other FedEx operations and companies have been unaffected. TNT Express operates in more than 200 countries and was acquired by FedEx last year.

This is not the first time FedEx has been hit by ransomware. FedEx was one of the companies attacked by the WannaCry virus last month, which spread to 150 countries. When asked whether the company had updated its systems since the May attack, FedEx did not immediately respond.

Researchers at Kaspersky Lab in Russia have dubbed the latest malware *ExPetr*.

Its operation appears similar to the WannaCry attack in May, which locked people out of their computer systems while demanding that victims hand over a ransom. More than 2,000 attacks have been carried out since Tuesday, experts say, with the vast majority concentrated in Ukraine and Russia.

Cyber researchers have linked the vulnerability exploited by the latest ransomware to WannaCry. Both versions of malicious software rely on weaknesses discovered by the National Security Agency years ago, Kaspersky said.

While nearly 60 percent of Tuesday's attacks targeted entities in Ukraine, several American companies have been rocked by the ransomware.

Merck, the pharmaceutical giant, confirmed Tuesday that its computer networks were hit by the virus and sent employees home. In a tweet Wednesday, the company said it had “moved to business continuity plans to ensure ongoing operations” and that it believes the problem has been contained.