Hackers were also sharing the logins and passwords of hundreds of people in universities, polytechnics and industry training organisations.
It's the latest in a line of attacks against various US government networks.
The New Zealand Post and MetService websites were also affected.
Three presidents, 10 prime ministers and a king were reportedly among the targets.
Small organisations will pay around $500, but large companies could pay hundreds of thousands.
It's the latest global company to be targeted by cybercriminals.
"Patching should be carried out immediately."
Getting iOS 14.4 will fix three different security vulnerabilities.
New Zealand's computer emergency response team has sent out an advisory warning of the attacks.
