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On Wednesday, Ukrainian police said they had arrested members of a large ransom gang.
These arrests are the first time a law enforcement agency has announced a mass arrest of a prolific hacker group that has blackmailed Americans by either encrypting an organization’s files or threatening to leak them to the public.
The gang, known as Cl0p, has hacked a number of US targets, including the University of Miami, Florida, Stanford University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Colorado, demanding payment to either keep their systems running or not to publish their material. They were able to steal.
The bankruptcy comes as ransomware has transformed from a quietly pervasive cybersecurity problem into a widely discussed national security issue, thanks to a series of high-profile attacks that threatened to paralyze some US supply chains.
Ukrainian police officers conducted 21 searches in the homes of the accused in the Kiev region by the Ukrainian National Police
Ukraine’s announcement coincided with President Joe Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. Biden is expected to pressure Putin to take action against ransomware hackers operating with impunity within Russia’s borders.
Ransomware has become a huge problem in the United States. The recent ransomware attacks briefly crippled Colonial’s pipeline, shutting down the country’s largest fuel pipeline for five days, and JBS, one of the country’s largest meat suppliers.
The majority of the most widespread ransomware gangs are believed to operate in Eastern Europe, and Russia in particular.
Ukraine’s cyber police announced that they had arrested six people involved in Cl0p, and had confiscated a number of computers, cars, and about 5 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($185,000) in cash.
A video released by Ukrainian authorities showed heavily armed officers descending on what appeared to be residences and confiscating everything from piles of cash and computers to luxury cars.
Although Cl0p was not the most widespread ransomware gang, it still penetrated dozens of targets, mostly in the United States and South Korea, since it became operational in the summer of 2020, said Alan Liska, ransomware analyst at the cybersecurity firm. Recorded future.
“While they were not considered top-tier ransomware, their methods were rather complex,” he said.
This is an evolving story. . Please check back for updates
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