The US Department of Justice says it has disrupted the Blackcat ransomware group. Also called ALPHV or Noberus, the hackers have targeted over 1,000 computer networks and extorted millions of dollars from victims. Bloomberg reports its members were known for speaking Russian. “In disrupting the BlackCat ransomware group, the Justice Department has once again hacked the hackers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco wrote in a DOJ news release.
The FBI says it developed a decryption tool, which it has used to help over 500 Blackcat victims recover their data — saving more than $68 million in ransom payments. The agency adds that it has “gained visibility into the Blackcat ransomware group’s computer network” and seized several of its websites.
“With a decryption tool provided by the FBI to hundreds of ransomware victims worldwide, businesses and schools were able to reopen, and health care and emergency services were able to come back online,” Monaco wrote
