SINGAPORE - Internet Service Providers Singtel and Starhub have set up helplines to advise customers on the global ransomware - dubbed WannaCry - that first surfaced on Friday (May 12), the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) said in a press release on Monday (May 15).

CSA said it has worked with the ISPs to provide further information on the ransomware, which affected some Singapore malls over the weekend, to businesses and the public.

Singtel customers can call 1688 while its SME customers can call 1606.

StarHub SME customers can call 1800 888-8888, which operates on Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 6pm.

Residential customers can call StarHub's 24-hour customer care hotline at 1633.

Alternatively, companies and individuals can contact CSA's Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team or SingCERT at singcert@csa.gov.sg or the hotline at 6323-5052.

The global ransomware attack, where hackers leverage on a Window exploit developed by the United States' National Security Agency called EternalBlue, has affected at least 150 countries worldwide.

The ransomware infects machines running unpatched versions of Windows by taking advantage of flaws in Microsoft Windows' SMB (Server Message Block), and a single computer infected by WannaCry can spread the bug to other vulnerable computers within the network.

CSA chief executive David Koh said: "This is an issue of national importance and we will take all the necessary measures to counter the spread of the ransomware and help businesses and members of the public prevent or recover from it as quickly as possible."