A massive global ransomware attack has struck hospitals, companies and government offices worldwide, seizing control of affected computers until the victims pay a ransom.

The majority of the attacks targeted Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan. But the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and global firms such as FedEx also reported they had been affected on Friday. Experts suggested Saturday that the ransomware's progress had been halted, but new attacks could soon follow.

Here are five things you should know:

How it Works

The ransomware, called WannaCrypt or WannaCry, locks down all the files on an infected computer and asks the computer's administrator to pay bitcoins to regain control of them.

The malware is spread by taking advantage of a Windows vulnerability, that Microsoft released a security patch earlier in March. But computers and networks who didn't update their systems may have a great chance to remain at risk. Those affected computers will see a message on their computer screens demanding payment. The initial demand was for $300 in bitcoins, but it now has been double to $600 if you don't pay within three days.

It Might Not be Stopped Yet

Now the situation is getting control since many organizations and institutions have been taking measures to repair that loophole, especial after Microsoft released the patch MS17-010 to fix the system vulnerabilities attacked by " WannaCry ". But according to the previous experiences, the hacker will not leave so easy, many experts point out that the hacker could change the code to remove the domain and try the ransomware attack again, so be careful with your computer and be ready to copy the files you need if the attack happening again.

What You Should Do

Microsoft said it had taken the "highly unusual step" of releasing a patch for computers running older operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003. Users should download the patch before clicking on any link in email. So maybe you can download it now for better protection of your computer.

For those consumers who want protected from this ransomware by up-to-date software, you can try turn on automatic updates by here.

If your computer has been affected, the proper way is not give any payment to the hacker, because even if you have paid the ransom, there's no guarantee that your computer will restore. In past ransomware attacks in reported, some victims have paid, only to find the key they are given doesn't work, while others have found their files are corrupted and can't be properly restored.

Who's Responsible for the cyberattack?

No one has yet identified to responsible for this serious cyberattack.

"We see all the finger-pointing at the usual suspects, saying it's probably people in Russia or China, but, to quote Sherlock Holmes, it's not really a good idea to guess without the evidence," Gazeley said. "I think these hackers have to recognize that these authorities will come after them with a vengeance,"

Nonetheless, authorities around the world will be seeking to track down those responsible.

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