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Renault and Nissan are among the businesses affected by massive ransomeware attack

SINGAPORE/TORONTO, May 14 (Reuters) - Technical staff scrambled on Sunday to patch computers and restore infected ones, amid fears that the ransomware worm that stopped car factories, hospitals, shops and schools could wreak fresh havoc on Monday when employees log back on. Cybersecurity experts said the spread of the virus dubbed WannaCry - "ransomware" which locked up more than 200,000 computers - had slowed, but the respite might only be brief. New versions of the worm are expected, they said, and the extent of the damage from Friday's attack remains unclear. Infected computers appear to largely be out-of-date devices that organizations deemed not worth the price of upgrading or, in some cases, machines involved in manufacturing or hospital functions that proved too difficult to patch without possibly disrupting crucial operations, security experts said. Marin Ivezic, cybersecurity partner at PwC, said that some clients had been "working around the clock since the story broke" to restore systems and install software updates, or patches, or restore systems from backups. Microsoft released patches last month and on Friday to fix a vulnerability that allowed the worm to spread across networks, a rare and powerful feature that caused infections to surge on Friday. Code for exploiting that bug, which is known as "Eternal Blue," was released on the internet in March by a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers. The group claimed it was stolen from a repository of National Security Agency hacking tools. The agency has not responded to requests for comment. Hong Kong-based Ivezic said that the ransomware was forcing some more "mature" clients affected by the worm to abandon their usual cautious testing of patches "to do unscheduled downtime and urgent patching, which is causing some inconvenience." He declined to identify which clients had been affected. The head of the European Union police agency said on Sunday the cyber assault hit 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries and that number will grow when people return to work on Monday. "The global reach is unprecedented ... and those victims, many of those will be businesses, including large corporations," Europol Director Rob Wainwright told Britain's ITV. "At the moment, we are in the face of an escalating threat. The numbers are going up, I am worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn (on) their machines on Monday morning." MONDAY MORNING RUSH?

Macron and Abe seek to avert messy Renault-Nissan breakup

TOKYO/PARIS – France and Japan's leaders met for bilateral talks to avert a diplomatic row over the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance on Friday following the surprise arrest of its Chairman Carlos Ghosn in Japan. With the carmaking alliance facing its biggest test after the ousting of Ghosn at Nissan and affiliate Mitsubishi over financial misconduct allegations, President Emmanuel Macron sat down with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Ghosn's arrest to face accusations including the under-reporting of income has triggered new attempts by Nissan to weaken Renault's control of the Franco-Japanese alliance, adding to challenges facing Macron at home. Macron, whose government has repeatedly pressed Japan to share evidence unearthed by Nissan's internal investigation into Ghosn, "restated his firm wish that the alliance should be preserved, along with the stability of the group," an Elysee official said after Friday's meeting with Abe. Abe said it was important to "maintain a stable relationship," according to a spokesman for the Japanese leader. "However, he said the future of the alliance is up to the private-sector shareholders. The government of Japan does not prejudge the future of the alliance," the spokesman said. The French official quoted Abe as telling Macron that "the legal process must be allowed to take its course." LEADERLESS Tokyo authorities on Friday extended Ghosn's detention for a second time, by the maximum-allowed 10 days, local media reported. Prosecutors must file charges by Dec. 10 or arrest Ghosn for new crimes to hold him beyond that date. Tokyo prosecutors declined to comment. Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ghosn's detention has left the global auto alliance without its leader and main interlocutor with the French government, which owns 15 percent of Renault and wants to maintain the ownership structure enshrining its control of the partnership. But Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa has made clear that Nissan wants to weaken the control of its smaller parent as it carries out a governance review. Renault's 43.4 percent Nissan stake ensures an effective voting majority at shareholder meetings, while Nissan's reciprocal 15 percent Renault holding carries no voting rights.

Infiniti replaces Americas chief

The Nissan-Renault alliance has been something of a revolving door for high-level executives of late, and the latest shakeup comes at its luxury unit, Infiniti, where Michael Bartsch (shown above) has been replaced as vice president of its Americas division by Randy Parker. Bartsch had a short tenure – he only took the helm in September 2013. In a press release, Infiniti said he was leaving to "pursue other interests." Bartsch, a veteran of more than 30 years in the auto industry, came to Infiniti from Porsche. Parker comes from within the Nissan empire, formerly heading up the company's sprawling west region, including its marketing, distribution and dealer network. Before that, he served stints at GMAC and General Motors. Bartsch isn't alone in leaving Renault-Nissan recently. Ex-Renault COO Carlos Tavares took the top spot at Peugeot, Infiniti boss Johan de Nysschen left for Cadillac and Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer took over at Aston Martin. Scroll down for the full press release from Infiniti. Feb. 17, 2015 Infiniti Motor Company announces leadership change at Infiniti Americas NASHVILLE - Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd. today announced a leadership change at Infiniti Americas aimed at growing the brand's presence in the U.S. Randy Parker is appointed Vice President, Infiniti Americas, effective immediately. He succeeds Michael Bartsch who will leave the company to pursue other interests. Most recently, Parker, 48, was Vice President, Nissan West Region, Nissan North America, Inc. "Randy has been a key contributor to the growth of Nissan in the United States," said Jose Munoz, chairman, Management Committee, Nissan North America and executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. "He has overseen strong growth for the Nissan brand in our western region, and we look forward to the skills that he will bring to Infiniti." "It is our pleasure to welcome Randy Parker to Infiniti," said Roland Krueger, president of Infiniti Motor Co., Ltd. "Randy will be responsible for accelerating Infiniti's progress in our largest worldwide market and driving our brand transformation as we execute an expanded product portfolio of premium luxury products." Most recently, Parker was responsible for regional marketing, distribution, dealer network development and financial controls for Nissan's largest U.S. regional operation.