In May of this year, Colonial Pipeline, a major US oil pipeline operator, was attacked by a cyber attack and paid hackers a ransom of 75 bitcoins (valued at US$4.4 million at the time, or approximately RMB 28.14 million). On June 7, local time, the US Department of Justice stated that it had recovered the ransom.
According to a report by the Associated Press on the 7th, Lisa Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, stated that investigators recovered 63.7 bitcoins paid by the Colonial Pipeline Company, accounting for approximately 85 of the total payment amount. %. According to the report, due to the decline in the price of Bitcoin, it is currently worth approximately US$2.3 million (approximately RMB 14.71 million). Monaco said at a press conference, “We will continue to use all resources to increase research on defense against ransomware attacks.”
According to a previous report by Xinhua News Agency, in May this year, the Colonial Pipeline Transportation Company was attacked by ransomware. The FBI investigation found that the ransomware attack was initiated by a cybercriminal group called “DarkSide.” The “dark side” invaded the Colonial Pipeline Transportation Company network to obtain a large amount of data and threatened the latter to pay a ransom. The Associated Press reported that this is the most serious cyber attack to date on critical US infrastructure. According to statistics, in the past three years, the “dark side” has launched multiple cyber attacks, causing tens of billions of dollars in losses.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said that the ransomware used by the “dark side” has been one of the subjects of investigation by law enforcement agencies since last year. At least 90 US companies are the gang. Victims. Colonel Pipeline Transportation Company expressed its gratitude to the FBI after that, and said that it will hold hackers accountable, take cyber threats seriously, and make corresponding investments to strengthen defense capabilities.
The Associated Press reported that the operation was the first since the US Department of Justice created a special task force to deal with ransomware, which also reflects the rare victory the US government has achieved in responding to ransomware threats.
Author/ Translator: Jamie Kim
Bio: Jamie Kim is a technology journalist. Raised in Hong Kong and always vocal at heart. She aims to share her expertise with the readers at blockreview.net. Kim is a Bitcoin maximalist who believes with unwavering conviction that Bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency – in fact, currency – worth caring about.