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The 'Bad Rabbit' Cyberattack Hit Almost 200 Targets In Eastern Europe

It was reportedly distributed via a "drive-by attack" in the form of a fake Adobe Flash installer.
Posted at 9:48 AM, Oct 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-25 09:48:32-04

A new ransomware attack — dubbed "Bad Rabbit" — hit parts of Eastern Europe on Tuesday.

Cybersecurity firms Kaspersky Lab and ESET began monitoring the cyberattack Tuesday morning. Both say the ransomware was distributed via a "drive-by attack" in the form of a fake Adobe Flash installer.

According to Kaspersky Lab, there were almost 200 targets. Most of them were in Russia, as well as Ukraine, Turkey and Germany. One cybersecurity company said the malware had been detected in other countries, including the U.S.

Though the attacks are still unclear, Bad Rabbit may have hit Russian media companies, Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure, Odessa airport and the Kiev subway. The hackers are reportedly demanding .05 bitcoin as ransom — that's almost $280. 

As of Wednesday morning, we don't know much about the hackers. 

The U.S. government issued a warning about the malware and discouraged people from paying the ransom.