Ukrainian special services were part of an international law enforcement team that blocked the infrastructure of LockBit hackers

Ukrainian law enforcement officers took part in stopping the activities of an international group of ransomware hackers, which for 5 years had been attacking financial institutions and corporations of Western countries that provide defense assistance to Ukraine. This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine, UNN reports.

Details

SBU cyber specialists jointly with law enforcement agencies of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other partner countries conducted a large-scale special operation in different parts of the world to expose members of the powerful international hacker group LockBit.

According to the case, the offenders stole secret information and personal data from well-known companies and then demanded a "ransom" for them. Among the organizers and members of the group were citizens of Ukraine and the russian federation.

It is reported that for almost 5 years, the attackers have carried out more than 3,000 cyberattacks against financial institutions and corporations in Western countries that provide defense assistance to Ukraine. From one of the American companies alone, hackers demanded more than $90 million.

The hackers used specially designed ransomware to steal corporate data. According to the investigation, the group members remotely launched malware on users' computers. After that, the virus collected classified information, then blocked the operation of computer equipment and "offered" to restore it after paying money. In case of refusal, the attackers threatened not only to paralyze the entire technological process of the affected companies, but also to "leak" their confidential information to the open network

As a result of the special operation, the hacker group's darknet sites were blocked by law enforcement. In addition, more than 30 servers were seized in the United States and seven EU countries, from which the attackers conducted cyberattacks and where they stored stolen data. In addition, more than 200 cryptocurrency accounts of the criminal group were blocked.

During the investigation in Ukraine, mobile phones and computers with evidence of illegal activities were found. The obtained material evidence will be provided to international partners to continue the investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency, the Lockbit group was first spotted in January 2020. In November 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 33-year-old Russian Mikhail Vasiliev in a case involving the use of Lockbit ransomware. The hacker group was responsible for, among other things, the Boeing data breach and the cyberattack on the American division of ICBC.

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