Ransomware

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US infiltrates big ransomware gang: ‘We hacked the hackers’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and international partners have at least temporarily disrupted the network of a prolific ransomware gang they infiltrated last year, saving victims including hospitals and school districts a potential $130 million in ransom payments, Attorney General Merrick Garland and other U.S. officials announced Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-health-crime-us-department-of-justice-ed17a8853d78a9d0185af04cb8bd2fd2

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FBI announces it has dismantled global network of hacked computers used in major fraud scheme

The FBI and European law enforcement agencies dismantled a massive network of hacked computers that had been used to defraud victims of hundreds of millions of dollars, agencies announced Tuesday.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/29/politics/fbi-dismantled-network-hacked-computers/index.html?

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Ransomware attack prompts multistate hospital chain to divert some emergency room patients elsewhere

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A ransomware attack has prompted a health care chain that operates 30 hospitals in six states to divert patients from some of its emergency rooms to other hospitals while postponing certain elective procedures.

https://apnews.com/article/ransomware-attack-hospitals-emergency-rooms-0841defe1b881b71eccb8826ed46130e?

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Ransomware attacks rising

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

A wave of ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure in recent weeks is a stark reminder that the ransomware problem will continue to get worse before it gets better — despite the U.S. government's best efforts. So far this year, there have been 317 publicly reported ransomware attacks against health care entities, Allan Liska, a ransomware expert at Recorded Future, told Axios Codebook author Sam Sabin. That already surpasses last year's 245.

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⌨️ Hackers' record ransom

Data: Chainalysis. Chart: Axios Visuals Hackers made off with roughly $1.1 billion from ransomware attacks in 2023 — setting a record, Axios' Sam Sabin writes from a new report from cryptocurrency tracing firm Chainalysis. Why it matters: Hackers follow the money, and are quick to adapt their tactics to counteract law enforcement attempts to squash ransomware. ? By the numbers: In 2023, ransomware hackers brought in roughly double 2022's total of $567 million in cryptocurrency from cyberattacks. ? Between the lines: For some businesses, it is sometimes cheaper to pay a ransom than to lose revenue from downed services and locked systems. Chainalysis also attributes the rise in payments in 2023 to the growing number of gangs getting involved in ransomware.

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? Hackers demand ransom

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

An eastern European group that claims to be behind the back-to-back cyberattacks that roiled thousands of car dealerships this week is demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom, Bloomberg scoops. CDK Global, the company that was hacked, is planning to make the payment, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Catch up quick: After CDK, a software provider for 15,000 car dealerships in North America, was hacked, dealerships across the country had to turn to pen and paper to process auto repairs and new car sales throughout the week. More on the attacks.

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? Visuals project: How ransomware attacks work

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

In a new Axios Visuals special project, Sam Sabin, Aïda Amer and Jared Whalen show — step by step — why ransomware attacks plague pretty much every company in every sector. Why it matters: Its perpetrators have hardly had to innovate to stay profitable. The big picture: In a cat-and-mouse game, cybercriminals constantly change their tactics as defenses against them improve. When businesses got better at backing up their key servers, many ransomware gangs started ditching encryption altogether. Instead, they opt to steal companies' proprietary information, or shut down systems needed to run the business. Explore the visual.

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Ransomware attack

A ransomware attack on a network of 14 medical centers in Ohio has triggered a “system-wide technology outage.” Kettering Health, which employs more than 1,800 doctors, said the cyberattack had disrupted its call center and caused the cancellation of elective inpatient and outpatient procedures. However, emergency rooms and clinics were still open. Ransomware locks computer systems until the victim accedes to the hacker’s extortion demands. The US health care sector reported more than 440 ransomware attacks and data breaches to the FBI last year, the highest tally of all critical infrastructure sectors.

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Iranian pleads guilty to ransomware attacks that affected Baltimore, other cities

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — An Iranian national pleaded guilty on Tuesday in North Carolina federal court for his role in a ransomware and extortion operation that prosecutors say targeted computer networks for Baltimore and other U.S. cities, a scheme that led to work disruptions and financial losses.

https://apnews.com/article/ransomware-plea-federal-court-iran-cities-aab689b79d5c9eb4ea78c9a77a997ffd?