One of the worst ransomware attacks in history spread worldwide on Saturday, forcing Swedish grocery chain Coop to close all 800 stores because it could not service its cash registers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The closure of large food retailers followed the sophisticated attack on the Miami-based tech vendor Kaseya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ransomware criminals, known as REvil, are suspected of breaching Kaseya’s desktop management tool VSA and installing a malicious update that infects tech management vendors serving thousands of businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coop, one of Sweden’s largest grocery chains, a tool that allows you to remotely update your tills, was affected by the attack, so payments could not be accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaseya technology was used by the Swedish company Visma Esscom, which manages servers and devices for a number of Swedish companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rail traffic and a drugstore chain were also disrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaseya said only about 40 of its customers were directly affected but did not comment on how many were vendors distributing the malicious software worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FBI said it is coordinating with the U.S. Department of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security over the investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The companies involved had encrypted files and received electronic messages demanding ransoms in the millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts said the timing of the attack, on Friday before a long U.S. holiday weekend, was designed to spread as quickly as possible while employees were not going to work.<\/p>\n\n\n