The department’s decryption tool dismantles a digital hostage program.
The Department of Justice announced that they have disrupted multiple extortion websites used by the Blackcat hackers, a digital gang also known as ALPHV or Noberus, that has targeted cyber networks worldwide. Some U.S. critical infrastructure networks were among the 1,000 victims of the group. Multiple foreign law enforcement agencies have been conducting investigations.
Blackcat primarily uses ransomware to hack into computers, lock them down, and hold accounts hostage in exchange for money. The Justice Department spend 18 months developing a decryption tool to undo the digital hostage program, allowing over 500 Blackcat victims to restore their computer systems.
“With a decryption tool provided by the FBI to hundreds of ransomware victims worldwide, businesses and schools were able to reopen, and health care and emergency services were able to come back online,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “We will continue to prioritize disruptions and place victims at the center of our strategy to dismantle the ecosystem fueling cybercrime.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Deputy Attorney General Monaco to be led by the Lord in fulfilling her role in the DOJ.
- For FBI, Secret Service, and other federal agents as they investigate the ransomware group.
Sources: Reuters, Justice Department
