U.S. Officials Take Down BlackSuit Malware Collective In Major Cyber Crackdown

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) took down multiple servers and domains belonging to the BlackSuit ransomware group, U.S. officials announced on Monday.

According to an August 11 press release from the DOJ, U.S. officials from four different agencies partnered with international law enforcement from the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, Ukraine, and Lithuania to take down four domains and nine servers late last month.

The Justice Department today announced coordinated actions against the BlackSuit (Royal) Ransomware group which included the takedown of four servers and nine domains on July 24. These actions include the unsealing of a warrant for the seizure of virtual currency valued at… pic.twitter.com/Inz6naZZoL

Officials involved in the operation say a recently unsealed warrant shows that authorities seized over $1 million worth of digital assets tied to the malware scheme on June 21.

“When it comes to protecting U.S. businesses, critical infrastructure, and other victims from ransomware and other cyberthreat actors, we will pull no punches,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The report states that the ransomware group is known to target “Critical Infrastructure sectors” including, but not limited to, Critical Manufacturing, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, and Commercial Facilities.

“The BlackSuit ransomware gang’s persistent targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure represents a serious threat to U.S. public safety,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

“The National Security Division is proud to be part of an ongoing team of government agencies and partners working to protect our Nation from threats to our critical infrastructure,” he added.

U.S. officials have long targeted malware schemes tethered to the cryptocurrency industry, particularly when it comes to the North Korean state espionage collective, the Lazarus Group.

A report from a U.N. panel of experts published last year revealed that an estimated 40% of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were funded through “illicit cyber means.”

As of 2024, the Lazarus Group had stolen more than $3 billion worth of digital assets globally.

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