Cyber attack impacts 200 US businesses: Keep a bitcoin cheque at the ready

A cyber-breach emerged in the Miami-based supplier called Kaseya on Friday afternoon that soon spread to corporate networks that used its technology management software. 

The attack was targeted at a Kaseya tool called VSA that helped small businesses manage their technology. The files of the business’s customers were simultaneously encrypted. 

Also read: LinkedIn denies data breach allegations, says private member data not exposed

In a statement, Kaseya said that the attack had been limited to a very small section of their customers who had been impacted who used their signature VSA software. 

Huntress Lab, a cybersecurity firm informed in a Reddit forum that it was working on the attack and that over 200 businesses had been impacted. 

Furthermore, they believe that the REvil, a Russia-linked ransomware gang was responsible. 

REvil was also, according to the FBI, behind last month’s attack on JBS, one of the world’s biggest meat processors, which ended with the Brazil-based company paying bitcoin worth $11 million to the hackers.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) put out the word that it was “taking action to understand and address the recent supply-chain ransomware attack” against Kaseya VSA and the service providers using its software.

The UN Security Council this week held its first formal public meeting on cybersecurity, addressing the growing threat of hacks to countries’ key infrastructure — an issue US President Joe Biden recently raised with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Several Security Council members acknowledged the grave dangers posed by cybercrime, notably ransomware attacks on key installations and companies.

Multiple US companies, including the computer group SolarWinds and the Colonial oil pipeline, have also recently been targeted by ransomware attacks.

The FBI has blamed those attacks on hackers based in Russian territory.