Seven Suspected Hackers Related to Ransomware Attacks Arrested

Seven suspected hackers related to attacks from ransomware that affected thousands of people and businesses have been arrested since February as part of a global crackdown on cybercrime, the agency reported Monday. Europol.

The US Attorney General and the FBI were expected to make what officials said would be a “significant” announcement on the application of the laws later Monday. Criminal charges related to the ransomware attacks could be announced, as well as the seizure of $ 6 million, according to a US official who was not authorized to disclose the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The hackers They were not identified by name, but the Europol agency said that two of them were arrested last week and that they are believed to be linked to a gang known as REvil, whose attacks allowed them to pocket around half a million euros in ransom payments. .

Kuwaiti authorities arrested another accused hacker last week, while South Korean authorities arrested three since last February. A seventh was arrested last month in Europe.

The arrests were part of a police anti-cybercrime investigation called GoldDust that involved the United States and 16 other countries. The REvil gang, also known as Sodinokibi, has been linked in recent months with a ransomware attack targeting the world’s largest meat processor, JBS SA, as well as a July 4 attack that affected companies in all the world.

The Undersecretary of Justice of USA Lisa Monaco appeared to foreshadow Monday’s announcement in an interview with The Associated Press last week, when she said that “in the coming days and weeks, there will be more arrests.”

The Justice Department has tried in various ways to combat a wave of ransomware, which it sees as not only an economic threat but also a national security threat.

Hackers’ arrests in other countries are important to the US Department of Justice, as many of them operate in countries that do not extradite their own citizens to the United States.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland Monaco and FBI Director Christopher Wray were expected to appear at a news conference Monday afternoon at the Justice Department to do what officials said would be a “significant” announcement on the application of the laws

In June, the Justice Department seized $ 2.3 million in cryptocurrency from a payment made by the Colonial Pipeline company after it suffered a ransomware attack that caused the company to temporarily suspend operations, resulting in a temporary fuel shortage in some parts of the United States.