Monday 5 July 2021
Kaseya software attack
Hackers want to extort $70 million
More than 1,000 companies around the world may be affected by a hacking attack on IT company Kaseya. It’s a so-called ransomware attack – the perpetrators are now demanding 1 million euros.
The group allegedly behind the hacking attack on an IT company in the United States is demanding a ransom of $70 million (about 59 million euros). Then the group called “REvil” posted the data again, on their blog. An expert from cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said the entry appeared to be real. The group has been running the blog since last year.
In one of the biggest extortion hacker attacks in recent years, thousands of businesses around the world may have been paralyzed since Friday afternoon. The hacker group “REvil” is suspected of hacking Kaseya’s VSA desktop management tool and installing a malicious update that infected thousands of customers of the US technology management provider.
Entire accounting systems have been blocked by crypto hackers. The attack had and still has traces to Europe. According to the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), thousands of computers in Germany are also affected. Supermarket chain Coop Sweden was forced to close 800 branches on Saturday due to a payment system failure.
More than 1000 companies affected
Cybersecurity consultancy Huntress Labs said Saturday that Kaseya VSA software has been manipulated to “encrypt more than 1,000 companies.” The cyberattack occurred just before the US Independence Day weekend.
Cassia himself confirmed the attack and confirmed on Saturday that the attack had been contained, so that only a “very small percentage” of customers who used the so-called VSA network were affected. When attacked with ransomware, hackers lock or encrypt their victims’ computer systems in order to extort money from users to release their data.