‘Prolific’ LockBit ransomware group loses its keys to a global takedown

A number of cursors point toward an unhappy face on a laptop
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Enforcers from the US and UK disrupted a ransomware group they say has targeted more than 2,000 victims and taken over $120 million in ransom payments. They even got the keys from seized LockBit assets to access data that was encrypted after the group’s attacks, the US Department of Justice announced in a press release Tuesday.

The US DOJ, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and UK National Crime Agency’s Cyber Division said they managed to seize websites and servers used by LockBit to prevent them from stealing data that they allegedly use to extort victims for money.

The NCA and FBI also came up with decryption strategies that they believe could help hundreds of victims globally regain access to systems that were attacked by LockBit,...

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