Cyber attack affected Honda networks in North America

Officials with Honda say the automaker's computer network was affected this week by the WannaCry ransomware - and it forced production at one plant to shut down.

Forbes is reporting the Sayama plant near Tokyo lost a day's production because of the computer worm that popped up worldwide about five weeks ago. The worm also showed up in on Honda's networks in Europe, China and North America.

A spokesman for Honda's Lincoln plant did not say if the worm had showed up in its systems, but referred all questions to North American operations.

The virus infected more than one million machines worldwide earlier this year after taking advantage of security holes in some Microsoft products. At the Sayama plant, WannaCry reportedly attacked several older production line computers, causing them to shut down.

The same computer worm affected plants with Nissan and Renault, forcing a halt at plants in Europe and Asia. WannaCry also affected Britain's national health system, making doctors unable to access health files, according to Tech Times.

WannaCry locks up files and encrypts them so the owner has no access. The software spreads from downloading a file, like an email attachment. The user may only regain access if they pay in bitcoin.

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