Frank Bajak

Miami-based Kaseya said it believed about 800 to 1,500 mostly small businesses using its IT infrastructure were affected by the attack.

Paying ransom carries no penalties, and refusing would be almost suicidal for many companies. The consequences could also be dire for the nation.

Investigators said it wasn’t immediately clear where the attack came from, or whether the hacker was domestic or foreign. The FBI and Secret Service have joined the investigation.

All signs point to Russia as the source of the worst-ever hack of U.S. government agencies. But President Trump, long wary of blaming Moscow for cyberattacks, has said nothing.

U.S. government agencies and private companies rushed Monday to secure their computer networks following the disclosure of a sophisticated and long-running cyber-espionage intrusion that experts said almost certainly was carried out by a foreign state.

Independent security experts say it has already hobbled at least five U.S. hospitals this week, and could potentially impact hundreds more.

Pope Francis apologized Thursday for the sins, offenses and crimes committed by the Catholic Church against indigenous peoples during the colonial-era conquest of the Americas, delivering a powerful mea culpa on the part of the church in the climactic highlight of his South American pilgrimage.

Venezuelans awakened on Monday to the prospect of another six years under President Hugo Chavez as the leftist president's supporters celebrated his victory against a youthful rival and a galvanized opposition pledged to build on its gains.