The Lockbit hacker gang is currently paralyzed. The group's website was seized through cooperation between the American and British security services, Europol, and the Dutch police. This has significantly disrupted Lockbit's activities.
The names of the victims who did not pay were quickly published on the Lockbit website. Now there is a statement from the security services on the page. “This site is now under the control of the UK National Crime Agency, which has been working closely with the FBI and the international task force for Operation Kronos.”
In addition to the Netherlands, countries such as France, Japan, Canada, Sweden and Germany also participated. Europol reported that two people involved were arrested in Poland and Ukraine. In addition, dozens of servers were shut down and more than 200 cryptocurrency accounts linked to Lockbit were frozen. Spokesmen for the British and American services reported that the process had not yet been completed.
Lockbit was one of the most feared hacking gangs in the world. Last year, the group stormed the largest bank in China. According to cybercrime experts from Delft-based security firm Fox-IT, Lockbit also attacked dozens of Dutch companies.
The KNVB was hacked, and there were many international victims
For example, Lockbit hacked KNVB. The Dutch Football Association paid a ransom (presumably more than €1 million) to prevent members' stolen personal data, for example, from becoming public. In most cases, attacks on Dutch companies could not be publicized because they paid up quickly.
On the since-hijacked website, the group claimed to be based in the Netherlands. According to US authorities, the gang has influenced more than one thousand seven hundred organizations in the United States. Victims range from financial and educational institutions, food companies to government departments. A ransom of more than $100 million (92.8 million euros) was demanded.
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