FBI Announces Takedown of Hive Ransomware Network

The FBI announced the takedown of Hive, a ransomware network with members in various states across Europe and North America, in a recent press release.

The US agency stated that it had been working on the case since at least 2021.

Hacker Hacked

Despite the FBI’s efforts, the network was impenetrable. However, in July 2022, law enforcement managed to penetrate the cyber crime group’s control center, gaining access to a decryption key that would be provided to victims who paid the requested ransom.

A high-profile example of this attack was the encryption of Costa Rica health care computers during the spring of 2022, with Hive demanding $5 million in Bitcoins in exchange for decryption.

As a result, over the past few months, the FBI has quietly approached victims of the attacks, offered them keys and refused ransomware payments of up to $130 million, effectively halting the group’s funding. The hackers are believed to have secured an estimated $100 million in ransom payments across more than 1,500 victims – meaning the FBI effectively denied them more than half of all potential payments.

The FBI is reaching out to both victims who contacted law enforcement and those who did not. Unfortunately, only 20% of Hive victims ask for help, prompting FBI Director Christopher Wray to remind the public that often, the only way cybercrime victims can be helped is if they reach out.

“The coordinated breakdown of Hive’s computer network, after months of decrypting victims around the world, demonstrates what we can achieve by combining the relentless search for useful technical information to share with victims with an investigation devoted to developing operations that hit the enemy hard. we.

The FBI will continue to leverage our intelligence and law enforcement tools, global presence, and partnerships to counter cybercriminals targeting American businesses and organizations.”

Collaboration with Several Agencies

Since then, the FBI and partners across Europe and North America have increasingly infiltrated the network, culminating in the cyber-crime group’s seizure of assets on January 26.

In total, 16 agencies in 12 countries work together to shut down criminal networks and help victims recover their funds.

Even though the network has been shut down, Hive isn’t the only ransomware group out there – a fact that should remind us all to stay in control of our own cybersecurity at all times.