A ransom cyberattack has paralyzed the networks of at least 200 companies in the United States tonight, the Associated Press reported, citing a cybersecurity company that responded to the incident.
Behind the incident appears to be the hacker gang REvil, a large Russian-language syndicate specializing in cyberattacks for ransom, said John Hammond of cybersecurity company Huntress Labs. He added that the hackers appeared to have used a network management product provided by software provider Kaseya to carry out the attack through network service providers.
Kaseya has customers at all levels, from large businesses to small businesses, so this attack could eventually affect any business, Hammond warned on Twitter.
Such cyberattacks typically use widely used programs and distribute malware with automated updates.
It is not yet clear how many or which users may be affected, but Kaseya has already urged its users to statement on your site immediately stop servers using the compromised product. The software company stressed that the cyberattack affected “a small number” of its customers.
The hackers want a ransom of 44.9 million dollars, Bloomberg reports, quoted by TASS.
–
