Ransomware attack did “minimal damage” to US companies, says Biden

The Kaseya ransomware attack on Friday encrypted the data of hundreds of small businesses throughout the world, including several in the United States. REvil, a prolific cybercrime group with ties to Russia, claimed responsibility for the incident.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden stated that the ransomware attack centered on the Florida information technology firm Kaseya seemed to have caused “little damage” to American businesses.

“It appears to have caused minimal damage to US businesses, but we’re still gathering information,” Biden told reporters.

“I feel good about our ability to be able to respond.”

The president’s remarks come after Kaseya stated that the attack caused no threat to important US infrastructure, which Biden declared off-limits during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

However, the attack was yet another example of how cybercriminals believed to be based in Russia are wreaking havoc in the United States. Biden has attempted to convince Putin to bring Russian cybercriminals to heel, with little success.

Earlier on this, the REvil ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for the Kaseya attack, which has affected over 1,000 businesses globally and prompted an inquiry by US government authorities. The hackers are demanding a $70 million bitcoin ransom in exchange for the release of a public universal decryptor that will unlock all affected computers.

According to the Record, REvil released a note on its dark web blog taking credit for the attack. The ransomware group, which had been suspected of being the culprit before it went public, also revealed more details about the suspected extent of the attack, saying that over one million computers were affected. Last Friday, Kaseya reported the attack.

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