REvil Launches Cyber Attacks on U.S. Which May Have Infected 40,000 Computers, Biden Reacts

REvil Launches Cyber Attacks on U.S. Which May Have Infected 40,000 Computers, Biden Reacts

A new round of cyber attacks has hit the United States.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the ransomware group "that collected an $11 million payment from meat producer JBS SA about a month ago has begun a widespread attack that has likely infected hundreds of organizations worldwide and tens of thousands of computers, according to cybersecurity experts.”

The incident may have infected as many as 40,000 computers worldwide, according to cybersecurity experts.

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On Saturday, President Joe Biden said he has directed U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate who was behind a sophisticated ransomware attack that hit hundreds of American businesses and led to suspicions of Russian gang involvement.

Biden said "we're not certain" who is behind the attack. "The initial thinking was it was not the Russian government but we're not sure yet," he said.  

“The group, known as REvil, has focused its attack on Kaseya VSA, software used by large companies and technology-service providers to manage and distribute software updates to systems on computer networks, according to security researchers and VSA’s maker, Kaseya Ltd. REvil is a well-known purveyor of ransomware—malicious software that locks up a victim’s computer until a digital ransom is paid, typically in the form of bitcoin. This latest attack appears to be its largest ever," reports the WSJ.