In the world of cybercrime, police have dealt a major blow to the infamous LockBit ransomware gang. This group, known for its devastating cyberattacks, was recently dismantled following intensive law enforcement efforts.
Europe is taking tough action against hacker groups
LockBit came into the spotlight due to its notorious practices in ransomware attacks. They break into the systems of companies around the world and hold data hostage in exchange for ransoms. These attacks cause significant financial damage and disruption to countless victims, from small businesses to large multinational corporations. But now the tide seems to be turning for these cybercriminals as the police have successfully restricted their activities.
The dismantling of LockBit was achieved after a thorough investigation and cooperation between international law enforcement agencies. Police joined forces with American and British security services to finally take down the hacking group. The result? Two arrests, 14,000 suspended accounts and a takeover of the main website. According to official information, the research organization Europol reported this.
The attack on the hacking group, known as Operation Cronos, is being led by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA is involved in the fight against organized crime, while Europol is responsible for cooperation between police services.
Lockbit loses control and loses crypto wallets
The head of the NCA, Graeme Biggar, is very pleased with the developments of Operation Cronos.
“We hacked the hackers through our close cooperation. We took control of their infrastructure, seized their source code, and obtained keys that victims could use to decrypt their systems.”
The NCA was able to take control of the platform that the hackers used to carry out the cyberattacks. In addition, they took over the website that was active there dark web. This website was used by Lockbit to publish the names of the victims. Now the UK law enforcement agency is using this website to publish information about Lockbit’s actions.
Europol also reports that around 200 crypto wallets linked to the criminal organization have been frozen. The hacker group previously made headlines for hacking the Dutch football association KNVB. They reportedly ended up paying a €1 million ransom to protect employees’ personal information.