Hacking gang says it has locked a million devices and wants $70m in Bitcoin to unlock them
Russia-connected hacking group REvil appeared to launch its crime spree on Friday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A hacking group suspected of being behind a major Fourth of July crime spree has said they have locked more than a million individual devices and want $70 million in bitcoin to release them.
The demand, which was posted to an online blog, is believed to have been made by the core leadership of REvil, a Russia-linked cyber crime group known for hacking meatpacking company JBS, according to Reuters.
The hackers first launched into their crime spree on Friday, hacking Kaseya, a Miami-based software firm helping companies manage software updates.
Hundreds of companies around the world are believed to have been hit in the attack, with around a dozen countries believed to have been affected, according to cybersecurity firm ESET.
According to NBC News, the group targeted individual computers and had initially asked for $45,000 to unlock each one.
Meat producer JBS put $11m into the hands of its hackers. Is paying such a ransom ever justifiable? 
Hackers steal Electronic Arts’ code for FIFA, Madden, and Battlefield video games ‘worth $28m’
Hacker closing out prison sentence in Chicago halfway house
Former roommate of accused Capital One hacker sentenced
The Swedish grocery chain Coop is the biggest known victim, with the company forced to close most of its 800 shops on Saturday as its registers are controlled online.
However, among those affected are also schools, credit unions, accountants and travel and leisure companies, Ross McKerchar, chief information security officer at Sophos Group Plc, told Reuters.
The full scale and potential impact of the hacking effort is still unclear.
On Sunday, the White House said it was reaching out to victims in the US to “provide assistance based upon an assessment of national risk”.
President Joe Biden said on Sunday he has “directed the full resources” of the government to address the incident.
Allan Liska of cybersecurity firm Recorded Future told Reuters he believed the hacking group may have bitten off more than it could chew by opting to scramble the data of so many companies all at once.
He said he believed the $70 million demand was an attempt to make the best of the situation.
“For all of their big talk ... I think this got way out of hand,” he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments