A key member of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated authorities cracked down on the Hive crypto ransomware collective.
In a 26 January statement, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated the FBI in Tampa, Florida had received “clandestine, persistent access to Hive’s control panel.”
This allowed authorities to exploit access to Hive’s data, identifying victims and providing more than 1,300 of them keys to decrypt their ransomware-infected networks. To date, the recovered networks total more than $130 million in ransomware payments.
FBI agents also secured additional ghost servers on Wednesday evening. The operation included US personnel, the German Federal Criminal Police, German Reutlingen Police Headquarters, the Netherlands National High Tech Crime Unit, and Europol.
The teams tracked ransomware payments, recovered the assets for victims, and dismantled Hive’s networks, the statement added.
“So, a reminder to cybercriminals: No matter where you are, and no matter how much you try to twist and turn to cover your tracks—your infrastructure, your criminal associates, your money, and your liberty are all at risk. And there will be consequences,” he said in his statement.
Stirring up the Hive
The comments come after Hive launched several cybercrime offences, including attacks on Costa Rica’s Public Health Service and Social Security Fund. Taking place from April to May last year, Hive criminals seized infrastructure with a $5 million Bitcoin ransom.
This caused roughly 4,800 people to miss critical doctors appointments. Wray explained that over the past seven months, victims only reported around 20 percent of attacks.
The news comes after a CertiK report that outlined potential cybercrime set to take place in 2023, where it expected the number of crimes to remain consistent.
Last year, online criminals such as hackers, phishers, scammers, and others stole up to $3.7 billion, with $595 million in thefts taking place in November.
