NetWalker ransomware network removed during cybercrime purge

NetWalker ransomware network removed during cybercrime purge

The NetWalker ransomware network has been taken down as part of a coordinated international law enforcement campaign. Ransomware has previously been used to attack schools, hospitals, private sector companies, and government agencies. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that a Canadian citizen has been charged with previous NetWalker attacks, seizing approximately €454,530 in cryptocurrency from ransom payments and the dark web resource used to communicate with the NetWalker victims had been disabled. "We are responding to the growing threat of ransomware by not only bringing criminal charges against the perpetrators, but also disrupting criminal infrastructure online and, where possible, recovering ransom payments extorted from victims," ​​said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Ransomware victims should be aware that informing law enforcement as soon as possible after an attack can lead to significant results like those achieved in the current multifaceted operation."

An international operation

NetWalker was one of many varieties of ransomware that were run using the ransomware-as-a-service model, in which developers created malware before releasing it to affiliates for deployment against high-value victims. Any ransom earned is shared between the developers and the affiliates. The NetWalker ransomware strain has been in circulation since at least August 2019 and has facilitated more than €46 million in ransom transfers during that time. If more victims of NetWalker attacks emerge, more criminal gains may be made. The action by the Department of Justice, with the assistance of the Bulgarian National Investigative Service, is not the first time that international law enforcement teams have worked together to stop illegal activity online. Earlier this month, Europol worked on an international police operation aimed at taking down the world's largest dark web marketplace. Via Engadget