The threat actors do not have it all their own way – law enforcement does fight back. IN this case the FBI infiltrated the Dark Web assets of the BlackCat/AlphV ransomware gang getting an insight into how they work. Domians were seized and closed down disrupting the gangs operations and nearly a thousand private/public key sets were retrieved – these can be used by infected organisations to unencrypt data.
FBI developed decryptor for BlackCat ransomware, shut sites • The Register
However the BlackCat/AlphV ransomware gang – believe to be based in Russia – still had access to their main Dark Web Onion site as does the FBI and a struggle has broken out over control of it.
A success like this will not last long, ransomware gangs are rarely small groups of people but a web of associates, affiliates and resources spread across the web and Dark Web. But law enforcement success is worth writing about.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
