The US Department of Justice confirmed today that the ransomware actor Hive Network has been taken down. In December 2021, unknown perpetrators used viruses from Hive to take control of Amedia’s systems. They demanded a ransom to return control. Among other things, the hacking led to major problems with printing paper newspapers. “Last night, the Department of Justice took down an international ransom network responsible for extorting and attempting to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from victims in the United States and around the world,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. In a coordinated action with German and Dutch police, they took control of the websites and servers of the network. Norwegian police have also participated in the investigation. Police prosecutor Erik T. Hansen at the section for financial cybercrime in the Oslo police district hopes the cooperation will reduce the risk of further attacks. – Over the past year, the Oslo police district, in collaboration with Kripos, has investigated ransom attacks aimed at various businesses in Norway. Infrastructure associated with HIVE is believed to have been used in several of these attacks, says the police attorney to news. Extortion for billions The closure comes after a lengthy investigation. According to the US Department of Justice, the network has earned over 100 million dollars, close to a billion Norwegian kroner, from various extortions since June 2021. There are said to be over 1,500 victims around the world. In addition to private individuals, hospitals, schools, businesses and critical infrastructure are said to have been pressured for money. According to the Ministry of Justice, the business model of Hive was that they took a share of the money that the blackmailers received from their victims. HACKED: Executive director Pål Nedregotten in Amedia. Executive director Pål Nedregotten at Amedia says he has received the news from the US Department of Justice. – It is gratifying that computer criminals are caught, he says to news. Amedia described the ransomware actor as “one of the world’s largest and most advanced groups that earn large amounts of black money from creating malware and facilitating the use of ransomware viruses”. The computer attack cost the company approximately NOK 30 million. About half is linked to lost subscription and advertising income. The rest of the costs were related to the actual technical handling of the data attack, and to the consequences of the operation following the attack. BISTO: The police in Oslo investigated the computer attack against Amedia and assisted in the international investigation of Hive Network. Photo: Christian Ziegler Remme Found keys In July 2022, the FBI managed to get into the Hive network and steal decryption keys. These keys were then given to individuals and companies who were pressured for money. By using these keys, the victims were able to regain control of their computers. In this way, the FBI was able to prevent the masterminds from gaining access to 130 million dollars that were tried to be extorted from the victims. Nedregotten in Amedia says he does not know the details of the investigation beyond what has been in the media. – We have never entered into dialogue with Hive, and we have never entered into dialogue with the FBI. We don’t know more than what we have read, says Nedregotten to news.
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The computer attackers behind the Amedia hacking were stopped by the FBI – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
