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Ransomware hits hundreds of US companies, security firm says

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Posted at 8:12 PM, Jul 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-02 20:12:24-04

WASHINGTON (AP) — A ransomware attack paralyzed the networks of at least 200 U.S. companies on Friday, according to a cybersecurity researcher whose company was responding to the incident.

The REvil gang, a major Russian-speaking ransomware syndicate, appears to be behind the attack, said John Hammond of the security firm Huntress Labs.

He said the criminals targeted a software supplier called Kaseya, using its network management product software as a conduit to spread the ransomware more widely.

Other researchers agreed with Hammond's assessment.

It was not immediately clear how many Kaseya customers might be affected or who they might be.

In a statement on its website, Kaseya urged its customers to shut down servers that were running the affected software immediately.

The company said a "small number" of its customers were affected by the attack.