Kaseya, a ransomware-stricken IT firm, announced on Sunday that it had hired cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc to assist with the aftermath of a major breach that has affected hundreds of firms around the world.
In a note posted to its website, Kaseya, based in Miami, revealed its personnel “have been actively engaged with FireEye and other security assessment firms” to investigate the cyberattack, which targeted on Friday and quickly expanded throughout the world.
The exact impact of the Kaseya cyberattack is still being assessed, in part because the targeted Kaseya software tool is used by so-called managed service providers, outsourcing shops that other businesses use to handle their back-office IT work, like installing updates.
Because its cash registers are operated by Visma Esscom, which handles servers for a number of Swedish firms and uses Kaseya, the Swedish Coop grocery store chain had to close hundreds of stores on Saturday.
According to one cybersecurity executive, his organisation has seen 350 customers been targeted by the ransomware attack.
“The two biggest regions we’ve seen are USA and Germany,” said Ross McKerchar, chief information security officer at Sophos Group Plc
Commenting on the development, Ross McKerchar, Chief Information Security Officer at Sophos Group Plc, said “The two biggest regions we’ve seen are USA and Germany,”
He said that Schools, small public-sector bodies, travel and leisure organisations, credit unions, and accountants were among the targets.
According to McKerchar, the surge of attacks demonstrated how tough it was for small enterprises to fight off increasingly well-funded cybercriminal gangs.