Hello. U.S. authorities seized the servers of the notorious Hive ransomware group after entering its networks and capturing keys to decrypt its software, the Justice Department said Thursday, calling its effort a “21st-century cyber stakeout.”
Hive hackers have been linked to attacks on more than 1,500 victims including hospitals and schools, extorting more than $100 million in ransom payments. “We hacked the hackers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.
Read the full story about the enforcement operation, which included German and Dutch police.
Still, cybersecurity researchers said, while the takedown was significant, it will hardly affect the overall ransomware epidemic. The State Department's Rewards for Justice program reminded the public Thursday that a payment of up to $10 million awaits tipsters with information linking Hive or any other hackers who target U.S. critical infrastructure to a foreign government.
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