Microsoft issues ‘highly unusual’ Windows XP patch to prevent massive ransomware attack

UK hospitals, Telefonica, FedEx, and other businesses were hit by a massive ransomware attack on Friday. Around 75,000 computers in 99 countries were affected by malware known as WannaCry, which encrypts a computer and demands a $300 ransom before unlocking it. The malware was able to spread thanks to flaws in old versions of Windows that were originally used by the NSA to hack into PCs before being made public by the Shadow Brokers group last month.
While Microsoft quickly issued fixes for the