Axa victim of ransomware attack in Asia

A subsidiary of French insurance giant Axa has been hit by a ransomware attack affecting operations in several Asian countries, the company said on 16 May.

"Asia Assistance was recently the victim of a targeted ransomware attack which affected its IT operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines," Axa Partners said in the statement.

"Certain data processed by Inter Partners Asia (IPA) in Thailand has been accessed," it added, saying it would "notify and support all corporate clients and individuals impacted" but that there was no sign further data was touched.

Ransomware attacks, which use security flaws to encrypt systems and lock their owners out until a ransom is paid, have increased in recent months.