A New Ransomware Attack Hits Hundreds Of U.S. Companies : NPR

This Feb 23, 2019, file photo shows the inside of a computer. A ransomware attack paralyzed the networks of at least 200 U.S. companies, according to a cybersecurity researcher whose company was responding to the incident.

Jenny Kane/AP

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Jenny Kane/AP

This Feb 23, 2019, file photo shows the inside of a computer. A ransomware attack paralyzed the networks of at least 200 U.S. companies, according to a cybersecurity researcher whose company was responding to the incident.

Jenny Kane/AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — A ransomware attack paralyzed the networks of at least 200 U.S. companies on Friday, according to a cybersecurity researcher whose company was responding to the incident.

The REvil gang, a major Russian-speaking ransomware syndicate, appears to be behind the attack, said John Hammond of the security firm Huntress Labs. He said the criminals targeted a software supplier called Kaseya, using its network-management package as a conduit to spread the ransomware…