(SeaPRwire) –   Ang U.S. Justice Department ay sumali sa at iba pang international law enforcement partners upang pigilan ang LockBit ransomware group, isa sa pinakamakulit na ransomware groups sa mundo, ayon sa inanunsyo ng departamento Martes.

Ang DOJ, ang FBI at ang Cyber Division ng U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA) ay pigilan ang kakayahan ng LockBit actors upang atakihin ang mga network, magnanakaw ng data at mang-extort ng mga biktima sa U.S. at pagkatapos nila kunin ang maraming public websites na ginagamit ng LockBit, na konektado sa mahalagang imprastraktura nito, at kunin ang kontrol ng mga servers na ginagamit ng mga administrator nito, ayon sa kanilang pahayag.

Ayon sa pahayag, ang DOJ at mga partner nito ay dinakip din ang dalawang Russian nationals para sa pagpapalaganap ng LockBit laban sa maraming biktima: Artur Sungatov at Ivan Kondratyev, kilala rin sa kanyang online alias “Bassterlord.”

“For years, LockBit associates have deployed these kinds of attacks again and again across the United States and around the world,” sabi ni Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement are taking away the keys to their criminal operation. And we are going a step further — we have also obtained keys from the seized LockBit infrastructure to help victims decrypt their captured systems and regain access to their data. LockBit is not the first ransomware variant the Justice Department and its international partners have dismantled. It will not be the last.”

Ang LockBit ay tumarget sa higit sa 2,000 biktima at nakatanggap ng higit sa $120 milyon sa ransom payments. Ito ay nagbigay din ng ransom demands na nagkakahalaga ng daang milyong dolyar.

Ayon sa pahayag ng Justice Department, ang agencies ay gumawa rin ng bagong kakayahan upang ma-decrypt ang mga systems at data na ninakaw ng LockBit. Ito ay maaaring payagan ang daan-daang biktima sa buong mundo na ibalik ang kanilang mga systems na na-encrypt sa pamamagitan ng LockBit ransomware variant, ayon sa DOJ.

“Today, the FBI and our partners have successfully disrupted the LockBit criminal ecosystem, which represents one of the most prolific ransomware variants across the globe,” sabi ni FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. “Through years of innovative investigative work, the FBI and our partners have significantly degraded the capabilities of those hackers responsible for launching crippling ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure and other public and private organizations around the world. This operation demonstrates both our capability and commitment to defend our nation’s cybersecurity and national security from any malicious actor who seeks to impact our way of life. We will continue to work with our domestic and international allies to identify, disrupt, and deter cyber threats, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”

Bukod pa rito, ang departamento ay nag-unseal ng dalawang search warrants na inilabas sa District of New Jersey para sa maraming U.S.-based servers na ginagamit ng LockBit members.

Ayon sa indictment, si Sungatov ay nagpalaganap umano ng LockBit ransomware laban sa biktima corporations at ginawa ang hakbang upang pondohan ang karagdagang LockBit attacks laban sa iba pang biktima ng hindi bababa sa Enero 2021.

Ilan sa mga U.S. attorneys ay sumali sa pagsisikap na parusahan ang mga Russian nationals at pinuri ang mga indictment bilang matagumpay na pag-unlad sa pagpigil sa internasyonal na kriminal na gawain.

“Today’s actions are another down payment on our pledge to continue dismantling the ecosystem fueling cybercrime by prioritizing disruptions and placing victims first,” sabi ni Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Using all our authorities and working alongside partners in the United Kingdom and around the world, we have now destroyed the online backbone of the LockBit group, one of the world’s most prolific ransomware gangs. But our work does not stop here: together with our partners, we are turning the tables on LockBit — providing decryption keys, unlocking victim data, and pursuing LockBit’s criminal affiliates around the globe.”

“Today’s indictment, unsealed as part of a global coordinated action against the most active ransomware group in the world, brings to five the total number of LockBit members charged by my office and our FBI and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section partners for their crimes,” sabi ni U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “And, even with today’s disruption of LockBit, we will not stop there. Our investigation will continue, and we remain as determined as ever to identify and charge all of LockBit’s membership — from its developers and administrators to its affiliates. We will put a spotlight on them as wanted criminals. They will no longer hide in the shadows.”

With the indictments unsealed Tuesday, a total of five LockBit members have now been charged with cyber crimes. These include Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, Mikhail Vasiliev and Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov.

The LockBit ransomware variant first appeared around January 2020 and has become one of the most active and destructive variants in the world.

The FBI Newark Field Office continues to investigate the LockBit ransomware variant.