Hackers Hit Thousands of Computers

Uploaded on 2023-02-11 in FREE TO VIEW

Thousands of computer servers around the world have been targeted by a ransomware hacking attack targeting VMware ESXi servers, Italy’s National Security Agency (ACN) said, warning organisations to take action to protect their vulnerable systems.

This attack targets unpatched VMare servers and organisations in several countries including Canada, France, US, Finland as well as Italy. ACN director general Roberto Baldoni said that the hacking attack sought to exploit a software vulnerability, adding it was on a massive scale.

VMare has said that it first issued patches in 2021 when it became aware of the threat and is urging customers to use the patches. "Security hygiene is a key component of preventing ransom attacks, and customers who are running versions of ESXi impacted by CVE-2021-21974, and have not yet applied the two-year-old patch, should take action as directed in the advisory," a representative from VMware said.

Any organisations that were targeted could become locked out of their systems because of the ransomware. Since the first alert this week the ACN been joined by the US national cybersecurity agency, CISA, which has moved swiftly to release a recovery script for organizations that have fallen victim.

CISA: Reuters: Bloomberg: Yahoo. ITNews: Livemint:

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