International intelligence services conducted operation against cybercriminals from Lockbit
International intelligence services conducted operation against cybercriminals from Lockbit (photo: GettyImages)
Specialists from the international law enforcement operation involving the National Crime Agency of the UK, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the US, Europol, and a coalition of international police agencies conducted an operation against the hacking group Lockbit, known for criminal activity in various countries, according to Reuters.
The international law enforcement agencies conducted an operation and disrupted the infrastructure of the cybercriminal community.
"This site is now under the control of the National Crime Agency of the UK, working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, Operation Cronos," NCA representatives said.
The international law enforcement group added that the agency has smashed the cybercriminals, and the operation is ongoing and evolving.
Meanwhile, a Lockbit representative reportedly sent a message to Reuters via an encrypted app, stating that they have backup servers that were not affected by the actions of law enforcement.
"The post named other international police organizations from France, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany," the article states.
What is known about Lockbit
The hacker group Lockbit and its affiliates have recently targeted some of the world's largest organizations. Cybercriminals make money by stealing confidential data and threatening to disclose it if victims do not pay, essentially engaging in extortion.
To do this, hackers infect users' devices with ransomware that encrypts data. Lockbit forces its victims to pay a ransom for decryption or data unlocking using a digital key.
Lockbit was discovered in 2020 when its namesake malware was found on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums, leading some security analysts to believe that the gang is based in Russia.
However, the cyber group has not claimed support for any government, and no government has officially attributed it to a national state.
On their non-existent dark website, the group claimed to be located in the Netherlands, absolutely apolitical, and interested only in money.
According to official data, Lockbit has infected over 1,700 organizations in the US across almost all sectors, from financial services and food products to schools, transportation, and government agencies. In the US, this group of hackers has been called the biggest ransomware threat in the world.
In July last year, the hacker group LockBit 3.0 attacked Japan's largest port, Nagoya, and demanded a ransom in exchange for restoring the system.
