Hackers demand $70 million ransom after cyberattack

Steph Deschamps / July 5, 2021

The hackers who attacked the American computer service company Kaseya this weekend with ransomware are demanding $70 million (59 million euros) for a universal decryption key. The amount must be paid in Bitcoin, a digital currency. This was announced by the computer security company Sophos.

The REvil hacker group used a flaw in Kaseya's software to attack its customers with a program that encrypts data and demands a ransom. This software is used by all kinds of organizations around the world for information and communication technology (ICT) management. The full extent of the damage is difficult to estimate at this time. REvil claims that more than one million computers have been affected. The IT company Huntress speaks of more than 1,000 companies affected. Kaseya said there were fewer than 40 direct victims, although there could be a ripple effect, as those 40 companies themselves have multiple customers. REvil, a Russian-linked hacker group, was also behind the cyberattack on the world's largest meat processing company, JBS, a few weeks ago. As a result of this attack, the company had to close its plants for several days. JBS paid the attackers the equivalent of eleven million dollars in crypto-currencies.