Cybersecurity
US Seizes BlackCat Ransomware Site, Offering Decryption Tool
- Ransom victims paid hundreds of millions of dollars, US says
- 500 organizations received tool to help them restore systems
A US Department of Justice office building in Washington.
Photographer: Al Drago/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The US Justice Department seized websites belonging to a notorious Russian-speaking ransomware group, upending hackers that have extorted millions of dollars from victims around the world.
The website for the extortion group BlackCat, also known as ALPHV or Noberus, on Tuesday broadcast a message stating that US officials had taken control of the page. As part of the operation, the FBI developed a decryption tool that enabled US and international law enforcement agencies to help more than 500 victims restore their computer systems, according to the Justice Department.