Part 7/10:
As NotPetya propagated, it infiltrated numerous multinational companies along its path, leading to staggering financial consequences. The U.S. government estimated the damages exceeded $10 billion worldwide, establishing it as the most costly cyber attack in history. Major companies like FedEx, Merck, and Mondelez International experienced losses reaching hundreds of millions.
The infection spread rapidly due to its design flaws, eliminating the existence of a kill switch that had previously allowed for an emergency stop in earlier ransomware attacks, such as WannaCry. Instead, NotPetya only ceased through manual intervention, leaving a trail of destruction that proved challenging for many organizations to recover from.