Ransomware attack on Miami-based firm targets more than 200 U.S. companies

Cyber-criminals launched a major ransomware attack on more than 200 companies this week, gaining access through a Florida-based IT firm in what one expert called “a colossal and devastating supply chain attack."

Hackers managed to gain access to the IT firm Kaseya in Miami through which they were able to obtain clearance for dozens of Kaseya’s clients. 

Security firm Huntress Labs was tracking the hack late this week. Security researcher John Hammond told Reuters that due to Kaseya’s corporate interconnectedness, the attack “has the potential to spread to any size or scale business.”

"This is a colossal and devastating supply chain attack," Hammond told the news wire.

The cyberattack is the latest in a series that have occurred in recent months, coming after multiple attacks on federal digital infrastructure as well as the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline that threw the regional U.S. gasoline market into chaos for several days.