The Lockbit ransomware network has been shut down by international law enforcement agencies led by the UK’s National Crime Agency. The group behind notable hacks v. aircraft manufacturer Boeingthe chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, sandwich chain Subway and there were thousands more The site was taken offline on Monday while authorities arrested key players behind the gang. “This site is now under the control of law enforcement agencies,” the website says. According to the malware repository Vx-undergroundlaw enforcement agencies have taken down at least 22 Tor sites linked to Lockbit.
“Thanks to our close cooperation, we have cracked the hackers; we’ve taken control of their infrastructure, captured their source code and obtained keys to help victims decrypt their systems,” said Graham Biggar, director general of the National Crime Agency. said in the statement. “As of today, LockBit is closed. “We have undermined the capabilities and, most importantly, the credibility of a group that depends on privacy and anonymity.”
Lokbit also admitted his defeat. In Disclosure to vx-underground, the group said, “The FBI got me.” Operation Cronos, the name law enforcement used for the effort, also resulted in the seizure of source code and other useful information about Lockbit’s operations. At the same time, Polish, Ukrainian and US authorities have arrested key members of the ransomware operation. Two more Lockbit branches are sanctioned in Russia.
There’s even better news for Lockbit victims: The operation obtained the keys from Lockbit create a decryption tool According to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, for victims to get their data back. Free decryptors can be found Through the No More Ransom project.
Since 2019, when Lockbit first entered the scene, victims have been forced to pay over $120 million in ransomware payments. According to Acting Assistant AG Nicole Argentieri.
