Thousands of computer servers in dozens of countries have been the target of a ransomware attack, the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) reported on Sunday (02.05.2023), which alerted organizations to protect their systems.

ACN has detected a “massive ransomware attack already in circulation” and “its technicians have inspected several dozen domestic systems that may be compromised and alerted numerous subjects whose systems are exposed but not yet compromised”, according to media reports. premises.

The attack, in addition to Italyhas affected servers in other European countries such as France And FinlandAs good as inside UNITED STATES And Canadaas well as dozens of Italian organizations are likely to have been affected and many more have been warned to take action to avoid blocking their systems.

The target was VMware ESXi servers, whose “vulnerability exploited by the attackers has already been corrected in the past by the manufacturer, but (…) the attacked, if they do not have the appropriate patches, can open the door to hackers eager to exploit”. “after the sharp increase in attacks over the weekend,” according to ACN.

The Italian government is closely monitoring the evolution of the attack and has convened a security summit between Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Delegated Authority for Cybersecurity; the director of the ACN, Roberto Baldoni, and the director of the Information and Security Department, Elisabetta Belloni, to make an initial assessment of the damage caused, according to a press release.

gs (efe, AP, Reuters)