Federal agents have tail and get hold of over half of the$4.4 million ransom paidby Colonial Pipeline to the cybercriminal crew DarkSide following May ’s cyberattack , the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday .
At a printing press conference , Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco enounce that the operation was coordinated with the avail of the Justice Department’snewly create ransomware job forceand that the investigation had effectively recovered a legal age of the multi - million dollar crypto payment . In apress dismission , the DOJ said that agents were able to traverse “ multiple transfers of bitcoin ” which led them to the find of a crypto billfold carry “ approximately 63.7 bitcoins , ” or approximately $ 2.3 million . The “ FBI has the ‘ individual key , ’ or the rough equivalent of a countersign needed to access assets approachable from the specific Bitcoin name and address , ” official say .
“ The sophisticated employment of technology to arrest patronage — and even whole metropolis — surety for lucre is in spades a twenty-first - hundred challenge . But the old adage ‘ follow the money ’ still practice , ” said Monaco , during Monday ’s presser . “ ransom money defrayal are the fuel that propels the digital extortion engine , and today ’s announcement demonstrates that the United States will use all available tool to make these flak more costly and less profitable for felonious enterprises . We will continue to target the integral ransomware ecosystem to disrupt and deter these attacks . ”
Screenshot: Lucas Ropek/U.S. Justice Department
The Colonial Pipeline ransomware plan of attack , which consume place on May 7th , not only temporarily lame the surgical operation of one of America ’s largest oil colour society ; it also goad amini - energy crisisthroughout the Southeast , while also bring forth a large political response andalleged turmoilwithin the criminal underworld .
It ’s ill-defined how the FBI ultimately have ahold of the key to DarkSide ’s crypto wallet — or why , over a calendar month later , the ransom had n’t yet been transferred into fiat via a crypto telephone exchange or dark mart . However , CNN reports thatafter compensate DarkSide , Colonial also direct “ early steps to notify the FBI and watch over instruction that help oneself investigator trail the defrayment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the cyberpunk , believed to be based in Russia . ” We do n’t have details on how exactly those steps ultimately helped law enforcement to track and seize the payment after it was made .
The announcement of the asset seizure comes as the federal government has point a much more targeted , strategic , and comprehensive approaching to fighting the ransomware epidemic currently embroiling the country . Just last workweek , the Justice Departmentannounced a new national strategyfor investigating and pursue leads in ransomware onset .
“ There is no place beyond the ambit of the FBI to conceal outlawed funds that will prevent us from impose endangerment and consequences upon malicious cyber actors , ” say FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate , during Monday ’s wardrobe conference . “ We will continue to use all of our available resources and leverage our domesticated and international partnerships to disrupt ransomware tone-beginning and protect our individual sector partner and the American populace . ”
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