PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAYS HIS ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING INTO A MASSIVE RANSOMWARE ATTACK LAUNCHED FROM RUSSIA OVER THE WEEKEND. THE ATTACK FOCUSED ON A VULNERABILITY FROM A SOFTWARE FIRM CALLED KASEYA. THE HACKERS ATTACKED MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED BUSINESSES AND THEIR CUSTOMERS AROUND THE WORLD.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE KINDS OF RANSOMWARE ATTACKS... WITH MSU DENVER COMPUTER SCIENCE CHAIR.... PROFESSOR STEVE BEATY.
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--The ransomware attack launched over the July 4th weekend targeted Keseya, a software company that serves IT firms which in turn handle back-office tech work for small businesses. As many as 15-hundred of them became victims. These are dentists, accountants, restaurants, and even a supermarket chain in Sweden. There was never a threat to critical infrastructure in the US but the hackers, believed to be Russia-based, demanded as much as 70 million to restore affected machines.
--President Biden met Wednesday morning with top administration officials to talk about recent ransomware attacks. But the White House is not giving details about any developments. Press Secretary Jen Psaki calling it a standard update. Psaki would not say what retaliatory actions the President is considering.