The payment was demanded per computer, to be paid in Bitcoin, an untraceable digital currency.
Several sources are reporting that the malware in question is ransomware.
An official with the ANSSI cybersecurity agency told The Associated Press that it has not detected any French targets of the new ransomware so far. To unlock the data and regain control of files, one must pay a ransom.
Meanwhile, reports of cyber attack of similar nations are being reported from several countries, an agency report said. Mikko Hypponen, its chief research officer, calls it "the biggest ransomware outbreak in history".
Researchers behind the MalwareHunterTeam Twitter account said that the WannaCry ransomware had infected users in 11 countries, including Russia, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The pictures also said: "ooops, your files have been encrypted!" A spokeswoman for the ministry told Interfax that around 1,000 computers at the ministry have been affected.
A spokesman for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: "Three GP practices have been initially affected and we are taking precautionary measures to prevent any others being affected".
As over a dozen of NHS England hospitals were rendered in chaos after being hit by a large scale cyber attack, the hackers have demanded ransom in exchange of giving back access of PCs to the hospital.
Security experts warn there is no guarantee that access will be granted after payment.
The bug was among the leaked NSA hacking tools. NHS England described the incident as a "ransomware" attack.
Patient records 'not compromised' in NHS cyber attack, says PM
It said its hospitals had shut down all computer systems as a protective measure and canceled all non-urgent activity. Many canceled all routine procedures and asked patients not to come to the hospitals unless it was an emergency.
"A number of NHS organisations have reported to NHS Digital that they have been affected by a ransomware attack", NHS Digital said in a statement.
Another security research firm, MalwareTech, has created a page monitoring the attacks.
As of 3:30 p.m. local time, up to 16 hospitals have been affected by the ransomware, according to the NHS.
A NUMBER of GP surgeries in St Helens are believed to have been affected by a cyber attack on NHS systems. "The NHS 111 service is also available for healthcare advice".
Cyberint, subordinated to the Romanian Intelligence Service, said Friday it thwarted a cyberattack to a government institution, without saying when it occurred, following notification from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Romanian foreign intelligence agency.
In Spain, the attacks did not disrupt the provision of services or network operations, the government said in a statement.
A top Russian mobile operator says it has come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some United Kingdom hospitals.
Friday's attacks are being blamed on a piece of malware called WCry, WannaCry, or Wana Decryptor, that's been tracked in large-scale attacks in Europe and Asia - particularly Russian Federation and China - and a scattering of attacks in the USA and South America, according to a map on the Malware Tech site. She said less than 1% of its computers were affected, and that the virus is now "localized". These types of attacks account for 72 percent of all the malware incidents involving the healthcare industry in 2016, according to Verizon.
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