US hacked the hackers to bring down ransomware group, helping 300 victims
World
Hackers broke into Hive gang's network, placed under surveillance, stole digital keys, US officials
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a move that prevented the Hive ransomware gang from collecting more than $130 million in ransom demands from more than 300 victims, the FBI disclosed on Thursday that it had discreetly hacked and stopped the gang.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a news conference that government hackers broke into the Hive gang s network, placed them under surveillance, and stole the digital keys they used to unlock the data of their victims organisations.
Then, before Hive requested the funds, they could warn the victims so that they might take precautions to secure their networks.
Monaco told reporters, "We hacked the hackers using legal ways." "We played Hive for fools,"
The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized this site as part of coordinated law enforcement action taken against Hive Ransomware, according to a flashing notice that replaced Hive s website on Thursday morning.
The Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit and the German Federal Criminal Police also took possession of Hive s servers.
The hydra-like plague of ransomware, which has intermittently devastated businesses, governments, and - increasingly - essential infrastructure, has been a problem for international law enforcement for years.
