Fallout continues from biggest global ransomware attack
BOSTON (AP) — The single biggest global ransomware attack yet continued to bite Monday as details emerged on how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit. In essence, the criminals used a tool that helps protect against malware to spread it widely.
An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting $11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said.
REvil was demanding ransoms of up to $5 million. But late Sunday it offered in a posting on its dark web site a universal decryptor software key that would unscramble all affected machines in exchange for $70 million in cryptocurrency. It wasn't clear who they expected might pay that amount.
Sweden may have been hardest hit by the attack — or at least most transparent about it. Its defense minister, Peter Hultqvist, bemoaned on Monday “a serious attack on basic functions in Swedish society."
”It shows how fragile the system is when it comes to IT security and that you must constantly work to develop your ability to defend yourself," he said in a TV interview. Most of the Swedish grocery chain Coop's 800 stores were closed all weekend because their cash register software supplier was crippled. They remained closed Monday. A Swedish pharmacy chain, gas station chain, the state railway and public broadcaster SVT were also hit.
A broad array of businesses and public agencies were affected, including in financial services, travel and leisure and the public sector — though few large companies, the cybersecurity firm Sophos reported. The cybersecurity firm ESET identified victims in countries including the United...
