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Feds Recover More Than $2 Million in Ransomware Payments from Colonial Pipeline Hackers
The U.S. Department of Justice said a new task force had recovered approximately $2.3 million in cryptocurrency paid in ransom to foreign hackers.
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Federal authorities have recovered more than $2 million in cryptocurrency paid in ransom to foreign hackers whose attack last month led to the shutdown of a major pipeline that provides nearly half the East Coast's fuel, according to officials.
The seizure of funds paid by Colonial Pipeline to a Russian hacker ring, DarkSide, marks the first recovery by a new ransomware Justice Department task force. It follows a string of cyber attacks that panicked consumers and led President Biden to warn Russia that it needed to take "decisive action" against the criminal networks.
"The sophisticated use of technology to hold businesses and even whole cities hostage for profit is decidedly a 21st century challenge," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, announcing the recovery on Monday afternoon. "But the old adage, follow the money still applies."
From The Washington Post
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