Ransomware hackers demand $70 million

More than a million computers allegedly affected: After an attack on an IT service provider in the United States, a group of hackers demands a ransom of millions of dollars.

The hackers who attacked hundreds of companies with extortion software over the weekend are demanding $70 million to obtain a master key for all affected computers. The company said on its blog that the amount must be paid in digital currency Bitcoin, which among other things, IT security company Sophos reported Monday evening.

Hacker group REvil used a vulnerability in US IT service provider Kaseya to attack its customers with software that encrypts data and demands ransom. REvil claims that over a million computers have been infected.

More than a thousand companies may have been affected

It has so far been difficult to assess the extent of the damage from an independent source. Huntress IT security has reported on more than 1,000 companies where systems have been encrypted. Kaseya reports that fewer than 40 customers were affected. However, these also included service providers who, in turn, had many customers. This created a kind of domino effect.

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 has had to close plants in the United States, among other places, for several days. JBS paid the attackers the equivalent of eleven million dollars in cryptocurrency.