Europol says it has hit a cybercrime crew known for targeting critical infrastructure companies with ransomware since 2019.<\/b>
\nEuropean police believe they\u2019ve made significant inroads into combating a cybercriminal operation that has been \u201cwreaking havoc\u201d by hitting critical infrastructure providers with ransomware since at least 2019. Europol announced Friday that 12 individuals involved in either hacking companies or in laundering money via Bitcoin had been \u201ctargeted,\u201d though wouldn\u2019t say whether they\u2019d been arrested or charged, though properties have been searched and items seized. \u201cThe judicial process is still ongoing so we cannot comment on this for the time being,\u201d a Europol spokesperson told Forbes. The hackers were \u201cknown for specifically targeting large corporations, effectively bringing their business to a standstill,\u201d Europol said. One of the ransomware strains they used was dubbed LockerGoga, which has been used to take down major businesses since 2019. One of its most significant victims was Norsk Hydro, a global aluminium producer, which cost the company more than $50 million. On October 26, police in Ukraine and Switzerland seized $52,000 in cash, five luxury vehicles, and a number of electronic devices, which are now being searched. More than 50 foreign investigators were in Ukraine on the day to target the criminals. \u201cMost of these suspects are considered high-value targets because they are being investigated in multiple high-profile cases in different jurisdictions,\u201d Europol wrote in a release on Friday. \u201cThe targeted suspects all had different roles in these professional, highly organised criminal organisations.\u201d It\u2019s unclear what impact the enforcement has had on the operation of the LockerGoga ransomware, or the other types used by the group, including MegaCortex and Dharma. Europol declined to provide more information on the action. It\u2019s been a positive week for ransomware investigators, with reports that the REvil crew, responsible for attacks on meat supplier JBS and customers of IT supplier Kaseya, had been taken down by another global police operation. It was reported yesterday that the German police led the takedown. Meanwhile, keys to unlock data encrypted by the Babuk ransomware crew were released this week, meaning hacked businesses shouldn\u2019t have to pay the crooks to get their information back. One of its most significant victims was the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, which refused to pay a $4 million ransom, so had its internal data leaked online. Significant attacks are still being launched, however. This week, a Russian gang claimed to have breached the National Rifle Association, posting internal data online as proof.<\/p>\n