Kindergartens switch to pen and paper after global Kaseya ransomware attack

Hundreds of organisations across the world have been affected by the Kaseya cyber attack, including at least 11 schools in New Zealand. Photo / 123RF

By RNZ

More than 100 kindergartens in the lower North Island are using pen and paper today due to a global ransomware attack on the software Kaseya.

Free Kindergarten Association Whānau Manaaki chief executive Amanda Coulston said its IT provider told it about the cyber attack on Saturday.

Kaseya provides IT management software for managed service providers and small to mid-sized businesses.

Coulston said all member kindergartens - just over 100 - had been warned to keep their laptops and computers switched off, while they checked whether any data had been accessed.

Hundreds of organisations across the world have also been affected, including at least 11 schools in New Zealand.

IT specialists this morning warned the full extent of the damage was yet to be seen.

US cybersecurity teams have been working feverishly to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, the AP reported today.

An affiliate of the notorious Russian REvil gang, best known for extorting $15.6 million (US$11m) from meat-processing multinational JBS after an attack on May 1 this year, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Saturday, cybersecurity researchers said. They reported ransom demands of up to US$5m.

- RNZ