Ransomware: FBI has access to 7000 LockBit keys and gives victims hope
The fight against Lockbit is still ongoing. Thanks to confiscated keys, more victims should now be able to access their data again.
(Image: FBI)
The US National Security Agency states that it is currently contacting victims of the Lockbit encryption Trojan to possibly help them. According to the agency, it now has over 7000 Lockbit keys as part of its investigation.
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Ongoing battle
This information comes from a recent press conference. In February of this year, international law enforcement agencies struck a major blow against the cyber criminals behind the ransomware in the form of Operation Cronos. Among other things, they took over parts of the IT infrastructure.
In May, there was a further success in the fight against the blackmailers, and law enforcement officers gained access to the criminals' darknet site. Investigators subsequently claimed to have uncovered the head of the ransomware gang. Despite the successful access, the fraudsters are still active and are working with new servers and a new darknet site.
Help in sight?
As the FBI has now announced, they have come into possession of 7000 Lockbit keys during the investigation. This allows victims to access their encrypted data again without having to pay a ransom. Operators can also contact the FBI via the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Lockbit has been active since 2019 and, according to the FBI, was responsible for 2,400 attacks worldwide in 2022 alone, causing billions of dollars in damage. In addition to companies, it also attacks hospitals, encrypts data and threatens to publish copied data if victims do not pay.
(des)
