LockBit Ransomware Operation Shut Down; Criminals Arrested; Decryption Keys Released
The Hacker News
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Contributed by: Drex DeFord
Summary
UK's NCA shut down LockBit ransomware operation through Operation Cronos, obtaining source code, arresting actors in Poland, Ukraine, freezing 200+ cryptocurrency accounts, and unsealing US indictments/sanctions against Russian nationals. LockBit, active since 2019, ran a ransomware-as-a-service scheme, deploying 'double' or 'triple extortion' tactics. The operation led to infiltration of LockBit's services, dismantling 34 servers, retrieving 1000+ decryption keys, and seizing a custom data exfiltration tool, StealBit. LockBit, affecting 2500+ global victims and earning $120m+ in illicit profits, is hampered, losing secrecy and anonymity.
