Cyber-attack hitting USA right now, experts fear could turn deadly in the future

A cyber-attack has been spreading around the world today.

There is a war going on right under your nose, but unless you work in shipping, finance, or energy production, you might not have noticed. Experts fear the war may soon turn deadly.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- There is a cyber-attack playing out around the globe right now. Around the world, as workers switch on their computers, they discover their data has been double-encrypted. To unlock their data, they are being asked to pay $300 in bitcoin, which is an untraceable crypto-currency. Of course, when the victims pay, nothing happens, but hackers get $300 richer.

Who is behind the attack is unknown, and nearly impossible to trace. The attack is hitting Russia's largest oil company, Ukrainian banks, and several multinational shipping firms. Some offices have been forced to close, and other are using backup systems. The United States is also being hit as the attack moves west with the workday.

The attack appears to use the same exploit used in the WannaCry ransomware attack in May. That exploit was developed by U.S. spy agencies to get into computers around the world. The vulnerability can now be patched, but many firms have not yet bothered.

Attacks such as these are becoming more common following the leak of several cyberweapons from the National Security Administration (NSA) databases. Those cyber-weapons are now being made available to hackers around the world.

Cyberattacks are almost always carried out for money, and occasionally to spread a message. However, cyber-weapons can also be deadly.

Some experts have warned that World War III will not be fought with bullets and bombs, but instead cyber-weapons. In one nightmare scenario, the power and water to a city, such as Los Angeles, are shut off for a week or longer by a powerful cyber-attack. The citizens, hot, thirsty and eventually starving, turn on one another and destroy the city more effectively than bombs.

In this way, cyber-attacks can become deadly. Other forms of cyber-attack could take control of self-driving cars, airplanes in flight, and hospital equipment.

More subtle forms of attack could use sophisticated means to spread false messages and fake news across social media, sparking fear and encouraging civil unrest.

While the interconnected world is cheap and convenient, it is also dangerous. Today's attack reminds us we are vulnerable, and it may only be a matter of time before real harm is done.