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U.S. authorities say they have recovered $ 2.3 million in bailout payments to hackers who closed the Colonial Pipeline last month, with a few days of disruption to the country’s fuel supply.
Justice Department officials said Monday that they had identified the virtual wallet used by the suspects Russia-based DarkSide ransomware group from which funds were seized, in rare cases to recover the ransom.
It was the tube that supplies nearly half of the fuel fuel consumed on the east coast of the United States turn off for five days after a hack by DarkSide last month, it caused a gasoline supply to run while motorists were filling their tanks.
“Ransomware attacks are always unacceptable, but when they target critical infrastructure, we will make no effort in our response,” said U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
Colonial CEO Joseph Blount told the Wall Street Journal that at the time, the company paid $ 4.4 million in bitcoin revenue at the time, because it was “the right thing to do for the country.” a ban on making payments to hackers.
The FBI and the White House recommend not doing so, arguing that blackmail only encourages more activities.
Anonymous cryptocurrencies are the optional payment method for cybercriminals. However, each transaction is recorded in an immutable block chain, giving private and public sector researchers the opportunity to track and monitor them.
Rescue recovery is rare. After hackers receive cryptocurrency payments, they typically use high-tech tools and techniques to try to get the researchers off the beaten path, before entering their money into fiat through cryptocurrency exchanges, no-buy brokers, or illegal dark network markets.
The Colonial did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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