Have a nice day...
What ‘Britain’s FBI’ posted to hackers after website sting
BRITISH authorities were able to lock one of the world’s largest criminal ransomware groups out of their own website in a major international sting.
The National Crime Agency – known as ‘Britain’s FBI’ – and other international partners, infiltrated the LockBit website, used in a quarter of all ransomware attacks last year.
The Russia-based site was responsible for chaos at Royal Mail last year and has claimed responsibility for a cyber attack on an engineering firm helping to supply jets to Ukraine. It is thought to be the most prolific ransomware group selling services to criminals around the world.
On Monday evening, a message appeared on LockBit’s website stating it was ‘now under control of law enforcement’.
Law enforcement agencies posted a message on the site directly addressing the hackers.
‘We have the source code, details of the victims you have attacked, the amount of money extorted, the data stolen, chats and much, much more,’ it read. ‘We may be in touch with you very soon. Have a nice day.’ NCA director general Graeme Biggar announced yesterday the agency had locked the gangs out of LockBit. He said: ‘We have hacked the hackers and taken control of their infrastructure.’
US authorities have charged five Russians in relation to LockBit, and two other suspects have been arrested in Poland and Ukraine.
Roughly 200 cryptocurrency accounts used to move illicit cash around have also been frozen by investigators.
LockBit gangsters would sell services to hackers which would allow them to breach major computer networks and lock users out of the system.
Victims would then be asked to pay a ransom to get access to their data, amounting to billions in losses of payments and the cost of recovering information.
Often the gang behind the attack would fail to delete the data even after the ransom was paid.
US FBI director Christopher A Wray said: ‘This operation demonstrates both our capability and commitment to defend our nation’s cybersecurity and national security from any malicious actor who seeks to impact our way of life.’