Lockbit gained access to major corporations such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Boeing, and ICBC, a Chinese bank.
International law enforcement, led by the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom, has been successful in disrupting the operation of the ransomware gang known as Lockbit. On Monday, the website of the group that was responsible for the famous hacks that were carried out against the airplane maker Boeing, the chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the sandwich chain Subway, and thousands of other companies was took offline while the authorities arrested major players behind the gang. According to the website, “Law enforcement has taken control of this site at this time.” If the malware repository Vx-underground is to be believed, law enforcement officials have taken down at least 22 Tor sites that were associated with Lockbit.
“Through our close collaboration, we have hacked the hackers; taken control of their infrastructure, seized their source code, and obtained keys that will help victims decrypt their systems,” said Graeme Biggar, Director General of the National Crime Agency, in a statement. “We have also taken control of their infrastructure.” “As of today, customers are unable to access LockBit. “We have caused damage to the capability of a group that relied on anonymity and secrecy, and most importantly, we have damaged the credibility of that group.”
Lockbit also admitted that he had lost. Vx-underground received a statement from the organization in which they declared, “FBI pwned me.” In addition, the source code and other valuable information pertaining to Lockbit’s activities were taken into custody as a result of the law enforcement agency’s actions, which were referred to as Operation Cronos. At the same time, major participants in the ransomware operation were taken into custody by police in Poland, Ukraine, and the United States. There are sanctions in place for two further Lockbit affiliates in the Russian Federation.
Those who have been affected by Lockbit have even more good news: It has been reported by the United States Attorney General Merrick Garland that the operation received keys from Lockbit in order to develop a decryption program that would allow victims to retrieve their data. Decryptors that are available for free can be located through the No More Ransom project.
According to acting assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, Lockbit has been responsible for extorting victims to make ransomware payments of more than 120 million dollars since it first appeared on the scene in 2019.