Security News > 2023 > December > BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware Site Seized in International Takedown Effort
The ransomware group, which has distributed ransomware to more than 1,000 victims, reportedly recovered control of its website on Tuesday.
On Dec. 19, the Department of Justice announced the FBI had been working on a disruption campaign against the ransomware group known as ALPHV, Noberus or BlackCat that resulted in the seizure of several of the group's websites, visibility into their network and a decryption tool that could restore stolen data.
"This exemplifies the complexity of the ransomware landscape and the challenges inherent in trying to fully wipe out ransomware threats."
Ransomware group investigated and site temporarily closed by international law enforcement.
On Dec. 19, BlackCat's leak site on the dark web was seized and closed; however, by the evening of Dec. 19, the ransomware group had "Unseized" the site, and ownership of it had become a tug-of-war between the threat actors and the authorities.
"The takedown of the BlackCat/Alphv ransomware operation is a major development in the cybercriminal underground," said Jim Simpson, director of threat intelligence at Searchlight Cyber, in an email comment provided to TechRepublic.