Law enforcement agencies disrupt prolific ransomware group LockBit

A website run by Lockbit, a prolific ransomware syndicate behind cyberattacks around the world, has been taken over by law enforcement agencies

LONDON -- A website run by a Lockbit, a prolific ransomware syndicate behind cyberattacks around the world, was taken over by law enforcement agencies on Tuesday.

The front page of LockBit's site was replaced with the words “this site is now under control of law enforcement,” alongside the flags of the U.K., the U.S. and several other nations.

The message said the website was under the control of the U.K.'s National Crime Agency “working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, Operation Cronos."

It says it is an “ongoing and developing operation” that also involves agencies from Germany, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, among others, including Europol.

LockBit, which has been operating since 2019, has been the most prolific ransomware syndicate two years running. The group accounted for 23% of the nearly 4,000 attacks globally last year in which ransomware gangs posted data stolen from victims to extort payment, according to the cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.