A notorious criminal organization, believed to be Russian, launched the largest ransomware attack in history just before the Fourth of July, which comes after Democrat President Joe Biden claims that he talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month about not attacking critical U.S. infrastructure.
Hundreds of American businesses were hit by what was described as “an unusually sophisticated ransomware attack” that “hijacked widely used technology management software from a Miami-based supplier called Kaseya,” Reuters reported. “The attackers changed a Kaseya tool called VSA, used by companies that manage technology at smaller businesses. They then encrypted the files of those providers’ customers simultaneously.”
Security firm Huntress Labs said that they believe that the Russia-linked REvil ransomware gang was behind the attack, the same group that the FBI said was behind an attack on a meat company last month. The criminal organization offered a software key on the dark web late on Sunday for $70 million in Bitcoin that they said would unlock everything. The group claimed that they “launched an attack on MSP providers” that resulted in “more than a million systems” being infected.
The Washington Post reported:
Already, the ransomware attack has temporarily shut down hundreds of Sweden’s Coop grocery stores because the cash registers were locked up. In New Zealand, nine schools were affected in some ways, forcing some students to shut down their computers, according to the New Zealand Herald. ESET Research said on Twitter it had identified victims in 17 countries so far.
Experts noted that cyber criminal organizations often wait for holidays to launch attacks because people take time off and there are less people monitoring network security.
Biden was eating ice cream at a local shop in Michigan over the weekend when he was asked to respond to the news. Biden was widely criticized over his response because he appeared to struggle.
Biden pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it as he appeared to try to gather his thoughts in response to the question about the attack. Biden claimed that he would respond if it were the Russians but claimed without evidence that “the initial thinking was it was not the Russian government.”
WATCH:
WATCH: Confused Joe Biden has to pull out notes to answer question on Russia pic.twitter.com/L2eUnXlSJQ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 3, 2021
Biden reportedly pleaded with Putin during his meeting with the Russian leader last month to not launch cyberattacks against the U.S., saying that he gave the Russians a list that “should be off limits to attack, period, by cyber or any other means.”
“I gave them a list, if I’m not mistaken — I don’t have it in front of me — 16 specific entities; 16 defined as critical infrastructure under U.S. policy, from the energy sector to our water systems,” he added.
Biden was slammed over the move with many national security experts calling the move weak and pathetic.
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