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The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has reportedly shut down a website used by the BlackCat ransomware group, also known as Alphv. This action may hinder hackers' ability to receive payments from ransomware victims.
According to a screenshot shared by cybersecurity specialist Erik Westhovens on LinkedIn, the FBI collaborated with multiple agencies to take down the website. The Computer Crime and Intellectual Property division of the Ministry of Justice, as well as European partners such as Europol and the Zentrale Kriminalinspektion Göttinge, were involved in the operation. Vx-underground suggests that there are suspicions of another scam by the BlackCat group. Official confirmation of the website seizure is currently unavailable.
BleepingComputer confirms that BlackCat's leak website has been down since Friday, followed by the negotiation sites on Monday. However, the responsible party for taking down these pages remains unidentified. BlackCat's Tox post, observed by BleepingComputer, verifies that all servers have indeed been disabled.
The US Department of Justice reports that BlackCat has victimized over 1000 entities globally, including government agencies and emergency services. In December 2023, the FBI released a decryption tool for BlackCat ransomware, enabling victims to recover access to their encrypted files. This tool allegedly prevented around $99 million in ransom payments.
Alphv's future intentions remain uncertain. It is possible that, similar to the LockBit ransomware group, the hackers may establish a new website for conducting attacks. LockBit, another infamous group, had its website taken down recently in a similar operation.
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