December 19, 2023 at 06:50PM
The US Department of Justice took down the ALPHV/BlackCat leak sites and infiltrated the ransomware group, potentially forcing its leadership into retirement and affiliates to find a new operator. The FBI is offering a free decryptor to help over 500 victims. The law enforcement action is intended to disrupt cybercrime and send a message to threat actors.
The US Department of Justice has claimed credit for the takedown of ALPHV/BlackCat leak sites and infiltrating the ransomware group’s network. The FBI is also offering a free decryptor to help the more than 500 victims recover their systems. It is speculated that members of another group, Scattered Spider, may have been working with the FBI to infiltrate BlackCat. The disruption is intended to send a message to cybercriminals and undermine profitability for cybercrime gangs. Experts believe it will be challenging for ALPHV/BlackCat to recover from this takedown. The FBI’s intention is to effectively retire the ALPHV leadership and degrade the ransomware ecosystem.