Security News > 2023 > January > FBI smokes ransomware Hive after secretly buzzing around gang's network for months

The FBI said it has shut down the Hive's ransomware network, seizing control of the notorious gang's servers and websites, and thwarting the pesky criminals' ability to sting future victims.

The takedown, which happened Wednesday night, was the culmination of a seven-month covert operation during which the FBI hacked Hive's network and used that access to provide decryption keys to more than 300 victims, saving them $130 million in ransomware payments, we're told.

Since June 2021, Hive ransomware criminals have hit more than 1,500 victims globally and extorted more than $100 million in ransom payments, according to the government agencies.

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Hive was the eight most active ransomware group in the final quarter of 2022, with more than 20 victims, according to ReliaQuest's Q4 ransomware report.

"Unfortunately, the criminal marketplace at the heart of the ransomware problem ensures a Hive competitor will be standing by to offer a similar service in their absence, but they may think twice before allowing their ransomware to be used to target hospitals," Mandiant's head of threat intel John Hultquist told The Register.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/fbi_hive_ransomware/