Page 2 - aruba-today-20230127

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 27 January 2023
U.S. infiltrates big ransomware gang: ‘We hacked the hackers’

Continued from Front attacks to us, we can help
them and others, too.”
“Cybercrime is a constant- Victims sometimes quietly
ly evolving threat, but as I pay ransoms without no-
have said before, the Jus- tifying authorities — even
tice Department will spare if they’ve quickly restored
no resource to bring to jus- networks — because the
tice anyone anywhere that data stolen from them
targets the United States could be extremely dam-
with a ransomware at- aging to them if leaked on-
tack,” Garland said. line. Identity theft is among
He said the infiltration, led the risks.
by the FBI’s Tampa office, John Hultquist, the head of
allowed agents in one in- threat intelligence at the
stance to disrupt a Hive at- cybersecurity firm Mandi-
tack against a Texas school ant, said the Hive disrup-
district, stopping it from tion won’t cause a major
making a $5 million pay- drop in overall ransomware
ment. activity but is nonetheless
It’s a big win for the Justice “a blow to a dangerous
Department. Ransomware group.”
is the world’s biggest cy- “Unfortunately, the criminal
bercrime headache with Attorney General Merrick Garland flanked by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, left, and marketplace at the heart of
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray speaks during a news conference
everything from Britain’s to announce an international ransomware enforcement action, at the Department of Justice in the ransomware problem
postal service and Ireland’s Washington, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. ensures a Hive competitor
national health network to Associated Press will be standing by to offer
Costa Rica’s government a similar service in their ab-
crippled by Russian-speak- patients at the height of companies in more than wide range of businesses sence, but they may think
ing syndicates that enjoy the COVID-19 epidemic. 80 countries, including oil and critical infrastructure, twice before allowing their
Kremlin protection. The online takedown no- multinationals, have been including government, ransomware to be used to
The criminals lock up, or tice, alternating in Eng- compromised by Hive and manufacturing and espe- target hospitals,” Hultquist
encrypt, victims’ networks, lish and Russian, mentions that law enforcement from cially health care. said.
steal sensitive data and de- Europol and German law 13 countries was in on the Though the FBI offered de- But analyst Brett Callow
mand large sums. Their ex- enforcement partners. The infiltration. cryption keys to some 1,300 with the cybersecurity firm
tortion has evolve to where German news agency dpa A U.S. government ad- victims globally, Wray said Emsisoft said the operation
data is pilfered before ran- quoted prosecutors in Stutt- visory last year said Hive only about 20% reported is apt to lessen ransom-
somware is activated, then gart as saying cyber spe- ransomware actors victim- potential issues to law en- ware crooks’ confidence in
effectively held hostage. cialists in the southwestern ized over 1,300 companies forcement. what has been a very high
Pay up in cryptocurrency town of Esslingen were de- worldwide from June 2021 “Here, fortunately, we were reward-low risk business.
or it is released publicly. cisive in penetrating Hive’s through November 2022, still able to identify and “The information collected
As an example of a Hive criminal IT infrastructure af- netting about $100 million help many victims who may point to affiliates, laun-
sting, Garland said it kept ter a local company was in payments. Criminals us- didn’t report. But that is not derers and others involved
one Midwestern hospital in victimized. ing Hive’s ransomware-as- always the case,” Wray in the ransomware supply
2021 from accepting new In a statement, Europol said a-service tools targeted a said. “When victims report chain.”q

U.S. military kills senior Islamic State official in Somalia

special operations forces statement. with al-Shabab, another
have killed a senior Islamic President Joe Biden was terrorist organization, oper-
State group official and 10 briefed last week about ating in Somalia.
other terrorist operatives in the proposed mission, No civilians were injured or
remote northern Somalia, which came together af- killed in the operation, Pen-
the Biden administration ter months of planning. tagon officials said. One
announced Thursday. He gave final approval to American involved in the
The operation carried out carry out the operation this operation was bitten by a
on Wednesday targeted week, according to two of- military dog, but was not
Bilal al-Sudani, a key finan- ficials who briefed report- seriously injured, accord-
cial facilitator for the global ers on the operation on the ing to an administration of-
terrorist organization, in a condition of anonymity. ficial.
mountainous cave com- Sudani, who has been on U.S. officials provided scant
plex. the radar for U.S. intelli- details about how the op-
“This action leaves the Unit- gence officials for years, eration was carried out
ed States and its partners played a key role in help- or the circumstances sur-
safer and more secure, ing to fund IS operations in rounding al-Sudani’s kill-
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a meeting and it reflects our steadfast Africa as well as the ISIS-K ing. One official said that
with Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi at the Pentagon, commitment to protecting terrorist branch operating U.S. forces had intended to
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in Washington. Americans from the threat in Afghanistan, Austin said. capture al-Sudani but that
Associated Press of terrorism at home and He had originally been des- did not prove to be “fea-
By AAMER MADHANI and Associated Press abroad,” Defense Secre- ignated the Treasury De- sible” as the operation was
COLLEEN LONG WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. tary Lloyd Austin said in a partment in 2012 for his role carried out.q