Toshiba unit hit by DarkSide ransomware attack

The U.S. is still recovering from a hacking attack on oil pipeline operator Colonial.

That has caused rising prices and gas shortages in parts of the country.

Now Friday (May 14) sees news of another so-called ransomware attack.

Japan's Toshiba says one of its units in Europe was targeted.

And it's blaming DarkSide - the same group said to be behind the Colonial incident.

French subsidiary Toshiba Tec Corp said it lost only a minimal amount of data on this occasion, and no data leak had been detected.

But it's the latest evidence of a growing wave of ransomware attacks.

They see hackers encrypt data, and demand money to decode it.

Sometimes they also threaten to publish stolen data.

Champagne maker Laurent Perrier is among other French firms to be targeted this year.

U.S. investigators say DarkSide includes Russian speakers, and never targets firms in the former Soviet Union.

Russia has rejected all suggestions that it has any connection to the hackers.