REvil Rubs Off a Ransom Note—$70M on the Line
In a midnight frolic that left a swath of businesses scrambling, a ransomware gang dubbed REvil—scrolling shadows from Russia—told the world that the data they hijacked is gone for good unless they cough up $70 million (roughly S$94 million).
Where Did They Post It?
The demand lurked on a page normally reserved for REvil’s own “hello‑world” notes—a digital billboard frequented by an outfit renowned for its knack of turning corporations into live‑in‑prisoners.
Who’s Speaking For Them?
REvil lives in a cramped gang‑linked coop, so pinpointing the exact messenger is a bit like guessing which hand in a game of poker is holding the winning card. Cyber‑security guru Allan Liska from Recorded Future says it’s “almost certain” that it was the big bosses in the core leadership talking.
The Drop‑In‑The‑Middle Attack
- Friday’s Terrific Tragedy: REvil slipped into Kaseya—a Miami‑based IT shop—then rerouted the trouble through Kaseya’s clients’ own clients. In a snap, computer systems across hundreds of firms slammed shut.
- Kaseya’s execs know the ransom call came, but they’re playing coy with follow‑ups—they haven’t wavered into a comment yet.
- Liska warns the hackers might have knocked a bit too hard. “All the swagger on their blog was a red flag,” he says. “They went farther than expected, and now it’s a mess bigger than they imagined.”
National Fallout
- The White House is already waving help‑flags at the victims. President Biden has put his intelligence teams into detective mode, hunting the plague’s source.
- Ms. Anne Neuberger, the FBI and DHS cyber adviser, said the agencies will “reach out to identified victims to provide assistance based upon an assessment of national risk.”
- A testimony from a cyber executive shows his own company was dumped like a viral hiccup—350 customers hit in a single day.
Last month the FBI singled out the same culprits for wreaking havoc on JBS SA, the meat‑packing giant.
So while the ransomware circus is still in motion, one thing’s clear: REvil’s latest heist is a colossal tidal wave that even the most seasoned IT companies are struggling to surf.
