The group claims that its backup servers have not been seized by the authorities.
An international police operation has stopped the infamous Lockbit hacker group’s online activities, US and British authorities say.
The operation named Cronos was led by the British National Crime Agency NCA.
– The website is now in the possession of the NCA, which carried out the operation together with the FBI, Europol and national police authorities, the NCA announced.
The group’s modus operandi has been to steal sensitive personal data from the internet using a blackmail program and threaten to publish them unless the victim pays a ransom for them.
According to the news agency Reuters, the Finnish police were also involved in the operation, along with the police authorities of the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands and Europol.
Lockbit was discovered in 2020 when it was tracked down in Russian-language cybercrime discussion groups. Some network security experts believe that Lockbit operates from Russia.
He also practiced blackmail in Finland
The group also operated in Finland. For example, in 2022 Lockbit’s target was the Savonia University of Applied Sciences, whose students’ personal data it traded on the Tor network.
Europol according to the release on February 7, two people were arrested in the operation in Malta and Nigeria. Those arrested are accused of selling malware and supporting cybercriminals.
The NCA and the US Federal Police FBI tell the Reuters news agency that the operation is still ongoing.
In the United States, a hacker group has attacked more than 1,700 organizations in almost all walks of life. Lockbit has been considered one of the world’s most threatening malware distributors by US authorities.
Lockbit has not commented directly on the cyber raid. However, according to the news agency Reuters, it has sent a message in an encrypted message service, according to which the raid has not reached its backup servers.
The police authorities plan to announce more about the operation in London on Tuesday evening.
Reuters