According to crowdsourced data examined by CNN, a new worldwide ransomware campaign has affected at least 3,800 people, including hundreds in the US, triggering warnings from European and US cybersecurity experts. However, according to “Ransomwhere,” a network created by cybersecurity researchers to track ransomware assaults, only four victims have paid the ransom so far.
It’s also unknown how much, if at all, the ransomware, which encrypts computers and demands a ransom, has interfered with business activities at the target organizations. A 2-year-old flaw in widely used software created by California-based cloud computing firm VMWare is being exploited by the attackers.
The 3,800 victims listed by Ransomwhere include IP addresses, which are the distinctive numbers used to identify machines online. If multiple IP addresses belong to the same organization, the total number of affected organizations may be less than 3,800.
Ransomware Hackers Infiltrate Suceptible Software
Reuters initially covered the data from Ransomware campaigns. However, despite arrests and seizures of hacking infrastructure, it remains one of the most significant digital risks to the operation of essential infrastructure, such as hospitals and factories. Additionally, poor security procedures make the issue worse.
Due to the victim organizations’ direct exposure of the susceptible software to the public internet, which made it simpler for hackers to infiltrate, the most recent outbreak has spread so far.
Late last week and over the weekend, French and Italian government agencies issued warnings about the attacks, and now US cybersecurity officials say they are prepared to assist US victims.
According to a CISA representative who talked to CNN, the US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency “is working with our public and private sector partners to investigate the implications of these reported incidents and offering help where needed.”
Cybersecurity Researchers Tracks Ransomware Assaults
According to crowdsourced data examined by CNN, a new worldwide ransomware campaign has affected at least 3,800 people, including hundreds in the US, triggering warnings from European and US cybersecurity experts.
However, according to “Ransomwhere,” a network created by cybersecurity researchers to track ransomware assaults, only four victims have paid the ransom so far. It’s also unknown how much, if at all, the ransomware, which encrypts computers and demands a ransom, has interfered with business activities at the target organizations.
A 2-year-old flaw in widely used software created by California-based cloud computing firm VMWare is being exploited by the attackers.
The 3,800 victims listed by Ransomwhere include IP addresses, which are the distinctive numbers used to identify machines online. If multiple IP addresses belong to the same organization, the total number of affected organizations may be less than 3,800.
Conclusion
CNN looked at crowdsourced data and found that a new worldwide ransomware campaign has affected at least 3,800 people, including hundreds in the US. This caused cybersecurity experts in Europe and the US to warn about the threat. But according to “Ransomwhere,” a network made by cybersecurity researchers to track ransomware attacks, only four of these victims have paid the ransom so far. It’s also not clear how much, if at all, the ransomware, which encrypts computers and asks for a ransom, has affected business at the target organizations. The attackers are taking advantage of a flaw in widely used software made by the California-based cloud computing company VMWare that has been there for two years. The ransomware campaign list of 3,800 victims includes IP addresses, unique numbers used to identify online machines. If several IP addresses belong to the same organization, the total number of affected organizations may be less than 3,800.
