At least 200 American companies have become victims of a major ransomware attack. It appears that the Russian-affiliated REvil group is behind the attack, security firm Huntress Labs says. That same group is held responsible by the FBI for the attack on the Brazilian meat processor JBS two months ago.
In such a ransomware attack, computer systems are shut down by criminals until the affected company pays a ransom. The attack is believed to have started at Kaseya, a company that supplies IT management software.
There would be a problem with the VSA product, which is used for remote management. It National Cyber Security Center in The Hague calls on companies that use VSA to switch it off. According to the NCSC, the product is widely used by management parties that provide ICT support to other companies.
This is therefore potentially a “colossal and devastating” attack, writes the chief executive of Huntress Labs. “Kaseya supplies companies large and small worldwide, so any company can be a target.” The timing is probably not coincidental either: on the weekend of the Fourth of July, the American Independence Day, many IT departments of companies are understaffed.
The Swiss security firm Kudelski Security calls it “one of the most dramatic attacks we have ever seen”. The ransom demanded by some companies can be as much as 5 million euros.
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