SSU jointly with law enforcement agencies of USA, UK and EU exposes international group of ransomware hackers. PHOTO
SSU cyber specialists, together 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.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
As a result of joint actions, members of a powerful international hacker group called LockBit were exposed. According to the case file, the attackers stole secret information and personal data from well-known companies and then demanded a "ransom" for them.
As noted, the organisers and members of the group included citizens of Ukraine and Russia. For almost 5 years, the attackers have carried out more than 3,000 cyberattacks against financial institutions and corporations in Western countries that provide defence assistance to Ukraine.
It has been documented that hackers extorted more than USD 90 million from one US company alone. The hackers used specially developed 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 and 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 paralyse the entire technological process of the affected companies, but also to "leak" their confidential information to the open network.
As a result of a multi-stage special operation by the SSU and its Western partners, 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 criminals 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, the SSU seized mobile phones and computers with evidence of illegal activity. The obtained material evidence will be provided to international partners to continue the investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
