The Ziggy ransomware group has joined Fonix, its counterpart, and shuts down, issuing apologies to targets. Ziggy announced in February that they were aiming to get out of the cybercrime business, likely due to the emotional toll and guilt of running a ransomware operation. Ziggy has also announced that they will be refunding victims’ money. Anyone who paid a ransom to the group must send them an email with proof of payment calculated in Bitcoin and the victim’s computer ID.
According to Ziggy, the refund will be transferred to victims’ Bitcoin wallets in roughly two weeks. According to Ziggy’s administrator, law enforcement takedowns of fellow cybercrime gangs scared the group into quitting the business. Ziggy published 922 decryption keys in early February, matching them with an accompanying SQL file to unlock all stolen files.
