FBI assists in international cybercrime bust amid heightened risk of ransomware

The FBI played a role in taking down an international cybercrime gang over the weekend. The cybercriminals reportedly blackmailed large companies and institutions for more than a decade. With the FBI’s assistance, police in Germany said they were able to identify 11 people linked to the group and identified at least 600 victims. According to Europol, the group scammed Americans out of more than $40 million in the span of two years.

The group specialized in what officials call “big game hunting.” They went after big businesses including corporations, hospitals and schools. The scammers targeted company systems then locked companies out using malware. The cybercriminals used the locked data as leverage for ransom. Ransomware is the world’s most disruptive cybercrime. Gangs break into networks and steal sensitive information before activating malware that scrambles data. The criminals demand payment in exchange for decryption keys and a promise not to dump the stolen data online.

This latest international cybercrime takedown comes after the U.S. Justice Department announced last month new priorities and initiatives in taking down cybercriminals. The announcement from the DOJ follows ransomware attacks becoming more and more successful, even government agencies have fallen victim. Last month, the U.S. Marshals Service revealed its systems suffered a ransomware attack in which hackers stole sensitive data.

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