The FBI hacked the website of ransomware group Hive

The FBI was able to hack into the website of one of the largest ransomware hacker groups, Hive, spy on the ransomware and secretly steal the digital keys that the Hive group used to unlock victim organizations’ data. The website of this group of hackers has been confiscated.This was announced Thursday at a special press conference by FBI Director Christopher Ray and US Attorney General Merrick Garland.The notorious and successful ransomware group Hive, in November 2022, used Hive ransomware to claim several hundred million dollars from over 1,300 companies worldwide, many of them in the healthcare sector.“Using legal means, we hacked the hackers, we beat them at their own game,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.This cyber operation was led by the FBI office in Tampa, Florida, assisted by the Cyber ​​Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, and FBI personnel deployed around the world, in coordination with foreign partners.FBI Director Christopher Ray revealed some details of the operation. In July 2022, FBI agents in Tampa gained secret permanent access to the Hive control panel. Since then, for the past seven months, FBI agents have used this access to help organizations that have been extorted by hackers for ransom. In total, the FBI has helped more than 1,300 cybercriminal victim organizations worldwide by preventing at least $130 million in ransom payments.Christopher Ray noted that approximately 20% of Hive ransomware victims reported potential issues to law enforcement. But according to Ray, the Hive threats were leveled even for those who didn’t report the hack.The FBI director highlighted the role of the German police headquarters in Reutlingen, the German federal criminal police, the Dutch high-tech crime unit and Europol in this operation.The FBI warned that “today’s announcement is just the beginning. We will continue to collect evidence, map Hive developers, administrators, and partners, and use that knowledge to conduct arrests, seizures, and other operations, in the United States and abroad.The FBI Director spoke directly to cybercriminals: “Wherever you are and however you dodge to cover your tracks, your infrastructure, your criminal associates, your money and your freedom are at risk. And there will be consequences.”On Thursday, the dark website Hive reported that it had been confiscated “as part of a coordinated effort by international law enforcement.”One of the organizations hit by Hive in the United States was a 314-bed hospital in Louisiana. The hospital stopped a ransomware attack in October, but hackers then stole the personal data of nearly 270,000 patients.The ransomware epidemic became relevant to US law enforcement after the May 2021 hack of Colonial Pipeline, a major pipeline operator delivering fuel to the US East Coast. His work was interrupted for several days, causing long lines at gas stations in several states. The company was hacked, allegedly by Russian-linked hackers.Although extortion hacking is still a lucrative business, it appears that the actions of US and European law enforcement over the past year have reduced hackers’ income.According to data from crypto-tracking firm Chainalysis, international hacker revenue in 2022 fell to around $457 million, from $766 million in 2021.