Security News > 2024 > February > LockBit takedown: Infrastructure disrupted, criminals arrested, decryption keys recovered

In the wake of yesterday's surprise law enforcement takeover of LockBit's leak site, the UK National Crime Agency and Europol have shared more information about the extent of the takedown.

"Today, after infiltrating the group's network, the NCA has taken control of the infrastructure that allows the Lockbit service to operate, compromising their entire criminal enterprise and damaging their credibility," the Agency said.

"The Agency has also obtained the LockBit platform's source code and a vast amount of intelligence from their systems about their activities and those who have worked with them and used their services to harm organisations throughout the world."

The arrest of two LockBit actors in Poland and Ukraine The indictment of two Russian nationals The freezing of over 200 cryptocurrency accounts linked to the group.

"Through our close collaboration, we have hacked the hackers; taken control of their infrastructure, seized their source code, and obtained keys that will help victims decrypt their systems. As of today, LockBit are locked out. We have damaged the capability and most notably, the credibility of a group that depended on secrecy and anonymity."

"With Europol's support, the Japanese Police, the National Crime Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have concentrated their technical expertise to develop decryption tools designed to recover files encrypted by the LockBit Ransomware," Europol said.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/02/20/lockbit-takedown/