Allegedly more than a million computers are said to be affected: After an attack, a group of hackers, including an IT service provider in the USA, demands millions of dollars in ransom.
The group of hackers who attacked hundreds of companies with blackmail software over the weekend is demanding US $ 70 million for a master key to all affected computers.
The amount should be paid in the digital currency Bitcoin, it said in a blog entry about which, among other things, the IT security company Sophos reported on Monday night.
The hacker group REvil used a vulnerability at the American IT service provider Kaseya to attack its customers with a program that encrypts data and demands a ransom. REvil claims more than a million computers have been infected.
The extent of the damage has so far been difficult to assess from an independent source. The IT security company Huntress spoke of more than 1000 companies in which systems were encrypted. Kaseya reported that fewer than 40 customers were affected. However, these also included service providers who in turn have several customers. This created a kind of domino effect.
According to the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), an IT service provider and several of its customers were also affected in Germany. There are a few thousand computers in several companies, said a spokesman on Sunday.
The REvil group, located in Russia by experts, was behind the attack on the world’s largest meat company JBS a few weeks ago. As a result, the company had to close plants for several days, including in the USA. JBS paid the attackers the equivalent of eleven million dollars in cryptocurrencies.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
