Thousands of computer servers around the world have been the target of a ransomware attack, the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) said on Sunday (February 5th), which called on organizations to take measures to protect their systems.
ACN chief executive Roberto Baldoni told Reuters the hack was aimed at exploiting a software vulnerability, adding that it was a large-scale attack.
Italy's ANSA news agency, citing ACN, said servers were compromised in other European countries such as France and Finland, as well as in the United States and Canada.
Dozens of Italian organizations have likely been affected and many more have been warned to take action to avoid being blocked in their systems.
Telecom Italia customers reported internet problems earlier in the day on Sunday, but the two issues do not appear to be related.
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US cybersecurity officials said they were assessing the impact of reported incidents.
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CISA is working with its public and private sector partners to assess the impact of reported incidents and provide assistance as needed
,” the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said.
