Security News > 2022 > July > DoJ, FBI recover $500,000 in ransomware payments to Maui gang

Federal law enforcement officials this week said they seized about $500,000 that healthcare facilities in the United States paid to the Maui ransomware group.

In the case involving the Kansas healthcare facility, the hospital paid the $100,000 ransom but also contacted the FBI, which traced the payment through the blockchain and identified accounts used by money launderers in China who were working with the North Korean-backed ransomware group.

"The DoJ's action on the North Korean actors behind the Maui-based attacks is yet another example of the extent that relevant and dangerous ransomware actors remain focused on our healthcare providers and hospitals," bracket f CEO Tim Kosiba told The Register in an email.

In a report in June, cybersecurity firm Sophos found that ransomware attacks last year on healthcare organizations almost doubled from 2020.

The healthcare sector also saw the highest increase in volume of ransomware attacks and perceived complexity, as well as the second-highest increase in the impact of the attacks.

Maui isn't the only ransomware strain preying on the healthcare sector.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/07/20/doj-maui-ransomware-payments/