Impacted by LockBit? FBI Offers Support with More Than 7,000 Decryption Keys
If your organization has fallen prey to the LockBit ransomware attack, and cyber criminals have encrypted substantial amounts of your data, with recovery options limited to paying a ransom, there is still hope.
Do not panic.
Recent reports from the FBI reveal that they have acquired over 7,000 decryption keys for LockBit ransomware and urge affected organizations to come forward for assistance free of charge.
In a speech at the Boston Conference on Cyber Security, Cyber Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran shared some of the FBI’s recent victories in combating cybercrime, particularly their actions against the LockBit ransomware operation.
Vorndran explained the workings of LockBit, orchestrated by a 31-year-old Russian named Dmitry Khoroshev (known by online aliases like “LockBitsupp,” “Putinkrab,” and “Nerowolfe”), who receives a 20% share of the ransom payments extorted from victims.
“These fraudulent schemes orchestrated by LockBit resemble the days when local criminals demanded ‘protection fees’ from businesses. LockBit affiliates seize your data, encrypt it, and demand payment to restore access. Upon ransom payment, they grant access to the data, but they retain a copy and sometimes demand additional payments to prevent the release of personal or confidential information online.”
The global ransomware enterprise LockBit faced law enforcement disruptions in February, followed by sanctions and the offering of multi-million dollar rewards for intelligence on the faction’s leaders.
Vorndran revealed that Dmitry Khoroshev turned against competing ransomware operators with the expectation that the FBI, who had indicted him on 26 counts, would be lenient towards him.
“Dealing with him is akin to confronting organized crime syndicates, where the leader surrenders and seeks clemency,” Vorndran informed the conference. “We will not be lenient.”
Despite law enforcement’s efforts to dismantle LockBit’s activities, the operation persists, and Dmitry Khoroshev remains at large.
This disclosure may unsettle organizations previously targeted by LockBit.
On a positive note, the FBI’s possession of more than 7,000 decryption keys offers an avenue for victims to retrieve their data and resume operations.
Vorndran from the FBI states they are contacting known victims and welcome any suspected victims of the LockBit gang to reach out.
Providing details of your LockBit incident could potentially lead to a complimentary decryption key and bolster international law enforcement’s understanding of the gang’s activities for future prosecutions.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire.
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