Earlier this week, Europol and the UK’s National Crime Agency announced they had successfully taken down the dark web platform associated with LockBit, a notorious ransomware group.
LockBit has been one of the most active and prolific ransomware groups, and this operation is a significant win for law enforcement and the fight against ransomware.
LockBit, a notorious ransomware group, operates a leak site where they threaten to leak and publish stolen data from their victims. This site has now been taken down and replaced by a featured image that indicates law enforcement has taken control of the site.
The image shows a takedown notice that a group of global intelligence agencies issued to a dark web site called Lockbit.
The image includes flags of the countries involved in the operation and logos of the police forces. It appears that the authorities have successfully taken down the infrastructure of this criminal group.
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Current Analysis:
The dark web leak site that LockBit used to name their victims who hadn’t paid the ransom is now under the control of the UK’s National Crime Agency.
The message on the site indicates that the operation was part of “Operation Cronos,” which involved the FBI, Europol, and several other European and Asian law enforcement agencies.
About Lockbit Ransomware:
LockBit ransomware will still be a popular choice for cybercriminals in 2023. Since January 2020, LockBit affiliates have targeted organizations of varying sizes in critical infrastructure sectors, including banking, education, energy, healthcare, transportation, government and emergency services, food, and agriculture.
The LockBit ransomware group operates on a ransomware-as-a-service model and has been one of the most active threat actors globally.
Managed Care of North America Inc. was one of the previous victims of LockBit in May 2023. In June 2022, authorities in Arizona arrested a person believed to be affiliated with the gang and linked to other LockBit ransomware attacks that affected victims across the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
Foxsemicon Integrated Technology Inc., a division of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., was one of the most recent victims of LockBit in January.
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