The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed the results of an international operation targeting LockBit, considered to be the most pernicious group of cyber criminals currently operating. The revelation comes after a painstaking undercover campaign that enabled the authorities to take control of LockBit's operational services, jeopardising their entire criminal structure. The group, which has been active for four years, has been responsible for countless ransomware attacks around the world, causing colossal financial losses estimated in billions in various currencies.
The NCA's assault resulted in the seizure of control of LockBit's main administration and disclosure site on the dark web. The latter, used to threaten to disclose stolen data, will now serve as a platform for exposing LockBit's internal methods and operations. The recovery of LockBit's source code and a substantial amount of information about their activities heralds a new era in the fight against cybercrime, promising a significant impact on reducing malicious activity online.
Operation Cronos, the result of close collaboration between the NCA, the FBI and international partners from nine countries, led to the seizure of LockBit's infrastructure and the deactivation of 28 servers linked to the network. In addition, as part of wider coordination with Europol, two key members of the group were arrested in Poland and Ukraine. This global initiative also resulted in the freezing of more than 200 cryptocurrency accounts associated with LockBit, marking a crucial step in dismantling their operations.
As a result of this operation, more than 1,000 decryption keys have been recovered, offering hope of redress to the victims of the LockBit attacks. The NCA, with the support of the FBI and Europol, is committed to providing ongoing assistance to victims to help them restore access to their encrypted data. This move underlines the importance of international collaboration in the fight against cyber threats and highlights the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protecting citizens and businesses from malicious acts.
The success of this operation against LockBit illustrates the determination and ability of cybercrime agencies to track down and neutralise criminal networks, whatever their level of sophistication or location. This significant victory against one of the most prolific ransomware groups underlines the growing vulnerability of cybercriminals to increased international cooperation and advanced investigation techniques.
