U.S. says it ‘hacked the hackers’ to bring down ransomware gang, helping 300 victims
The FBI on Thursday revealed it had secretly hacked and disrupted a prolific ransomware gang called Hive, a maneuver that allowed the bureau to thwart the group from collecting more than $130 million in ransomware demands from more than 300 victims. At a news conference, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland,
Europol reports $19.5M in crypto seized in enforcement action against Bitzlato
The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, or Europol, has reported authorities took control of crypto wallets containing more than $19 million in cryptocurrency as part of enforcement actions against crypto firm Bitzlato. In a Jan. 23 announcement, Europol reported that roughly 46% of assets — 1 billion euro, or
Cryptocurrency ransom payments drop amid record-high illicit transactions in 2022: reports
Ransomware payments in cryptocurrency saw a sharp drop in 2022 despite a record-high volume of illicit transactions, according to research firm Chainalysis, as the virtual asset sector continues to reel from a tumultuous year that saw several companies collapse. Ransomware attackers extorted at least US$456.8 million in cryptocurrency from victims
Russian cryptocurrency owner arrested in Miami for allegedly transmitting over $700M in illicit funds
Authorities in Miami arrested the majority owner and founder of a global cryptocurrency exchange Tuesday evening after he allegedly helped process more than $700 million in illicit funds, according to the Justice Department. Anatoly Legkodymov, 40, a Russian national who resides in China, was charged with conducting an unlicensed money transmitting
UK Schools Hit by Mass Leak of Confidential Data
Following a cyberattack that occurred in 2022, confidential data from 14 different UK schools has been leaked online by the hackers allegedly behind the breach. The information exposed includes children’s SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and staff contract details. The information was reportedly leaked after the schools impacted
Royal Mail’s Attackers Linked to Russia-Backed LockBit
The LockBit ransomware group has been tied to another prolific cyberattack targeting the UK’s postal service. The attack occurred in January of this year and severely disrupted Royal Mail’s international deliveries. During the attack, printers located at a distribution site in Belfast begun to print ransom notes stating that the
Rail Tech Giant Wabtec Discloses Global Data Breach
Wabtec Corporation, a leading rail technology company, has disclosed details of a security incident that occurred last year and resulted in the compromise of highly sensitive information. The company is headquartered in Pittsburgh and operates in over 50 countries within the freight, mining, industrial, marine, and transit sectors. The firm
Hacker Selling Data Allegedly Stolen From Volvo Cars Following Ransomware Attack
A hacker listed data for sale on a public hacker forum on December 31 claiming that the data was stolen from Swedish vehicle manufacturer Volvo Cars. The hacker alleges that the data breach was a result of a ransomware attack conducted in late December. The hacker further claims that the
No Major Spike in Reported Ransomware in 2022
Emsisoft has reported that there was no spike in ransomware attacks reported in 2022. The report found that over 200 organizations in the healthcare, government, and education sectors were compromised by ransomware in the past year, representing a similar figure to 2021. Emsisoft published the findings in a recent report
LockBit Hands Ransomware Decryptor to Kids’ Hospital
The prolific LockBit ransomware group has not only apologized to a children’s hospital for conducting a ransomware attack, but has also provided it with a free decryption key. The attack targeted Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) on December 18, 2022. The facility is Canada’s largest pediatric hospital and admitted