Tag Archives: Ransomware

When it comes to crypto crime, a new report issued by blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis shows that there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that such crime is down across the board. About 65 percent down, to be exact. The bad news is that much of the crime in the crypto arena has shifted to ransomware. Chainalysis Report Shows Ransomware Growing 2022 was arguably the worst year on record for crypto. It brought about one of the worst bear markets in...

A slew of major U.S. grocery chains have been targeted by scammers in recent months posing fake bomb threats with demands for ransom payments. While often involving cash or gift cards, the scammers have sometimes requested that their victims pay them in Bitcoin (BTC). The Supermarket Scam As reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, companies like Kroger, Walmart, Whole Foods Market have been targeted by the scam at various stores across and Wisconsin, with scammers...

A Russian man has been charged by US authorities for his alleged connection to multiple ransomware schemes that netted him and other attackers nearly $200 million – much of which came through crypto.  Some of the victims of those ransomware attacks included hospitals, schools, and police departments.  $200 Million in Ransomware Payments The culprit – Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev – was part of three ransomware gangs: Lockbit, Babuk and Hive. Collectively, they have obtained...

The FBI announced the takedown of Hive, a ransomware network with members across multiple states in Europe and North America, in a recent press release. The US agency stated that they had been on the case since at least 2021. Hackers Hacked Despite the efforts of the FBI, the network was tough to crack. However, in July of 2022, law enforcement was able to penetrate the cybercrime group’s control center, gaining access to the decryption keys that were to be given to victims...

Studie: Ransomware-Gauner machten 2022 40 Prozent weniger Umsatz mit Ransomware Das bekannte Blockchain-Analyse Unternehmen Chainalysis hat für einmal eine ziemlich unterhaltsame Statistik publiziert: Demnach machten Gangster im letzten Jahr 2022 40 Prozent weniger Umsatz. Und wahrscheinlich ist da niemand traurig, wenn sich Lösegelderpressung nicht mehr lohnt. Im Jahr 2022 haben Cyberkriminelle Lösegeldzahlungen in einem Wert von rund 456,8...

2022 has been a turbulent year. One good thing to come out of it is that – ransomware earnings are significantly down. Attacks on the crypto industry remain rampant. However, data suggests that victims are increasingly refusing to pay ransomware attackers. Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis, in a new report, shed light on the changing dynamics in the ransomware industry. Zooming in on Ransomware Attacks 2022 It found that over 10,000 unique strains were active in the...

According to White House officials, bitcoin – though it has its benefits – has increased ransomware cases across the country. The White House Isn’t Confident in BTC A White House spokesperson (who remains anonymous) recently commented in an interview: When bitcoin became more widely used, we saw a huge jump in ransomware because it was a way to move money across borders. It’s a borderless threat, and we [need] to tackle it in a borderless way. The threat has clearly evolved. The government...

The US Department of Justice confiscated 719 bitcoins from the 35-year-old Canadian – Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins – for participating in the NetWalker ransomware attacks. At the time of the seizure, the amount of cryptocurrency equaled nearly $22 million. Prison Time for the Criminal According to a recent announcement, Vachon-Desjardins was involved in a sophisticated type of ransomware known as NetWalker. The malicious software targeted victims all over the globe, including...

In a new move carried out by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), multiple sanctions were handed out due to the accused’s ransomware activities. Ten Individuals and two shell companies known for extorting US businesses and infrastructure providers have been sanctioned, prohibiting all commercial activities with the designated parties – in cryptocurrency or otherwise. In tandem, the DOJ has also launched criminal charges against three...

A Canadian government employee thought to be involved in a series of crypto-related ransomware attacks has been extradited to the United States to face judgement. Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins – who worked as an IT consultant for Public Works and Government Services in Canada – is believed to have carried out attacks that led to approximately $28 billion in bitcoin being paid out by targeted individuals and enterprises throughout the Americas. Vachon-Desjardins Will Face...