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The U.S. Department of Justice has managed to recover $500,000 worth of crypto-ransomware that was paid to North Korean hackers who launched Maui ransomware assaults on at least two U.S. medical facilities.
U.S Govt Recovers $500,000 from North Korean Hackers
According to an official statement, the U.S. Department of Justice seized roughly $500,000 in ransom payments that a medical center in Kansas paid to North Korean hackers last year, along with cryptocurrency used to launder the payments, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Tuesday. While the hospital quickly paid the attackers, they also notified the FBI, "which was the right thing to do for both themselves and for future victims," Monaco said. The notification enabled the FBI to trace the payment using blockchain analytics, using the same techniques that had been deployed after the attack targeting the U.S. Colonial Pipeline.
"Thanks to rapid reporting and cooperation from a victim, the FBI, and Justice Department prosecutors have disrupted the activities of a North Korean state-sponsored group deploying ransomware known as 'Maui.' Not only did this allow us to recover their ransom payment as well as a ransom paid by previously unknown victims, but we were also able to identify a previously unidentified ransomware strain."
North Korea has been accused of orchestrating a number of ransomware attacks against medical facilities. It is believed that the cryptocurrencies raised are subsequently used to fund the state's nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang has also been linked to a number of social engineering incidents targeting companies within the crypto space, including the record-breaking Ronin hack back in March.