FBI Seizes Hive Ransomware Gang's Servers, Takes Down its Website

The FBI has shut down the notorious group of cybercriminals Hive this week. The law enforcement agency has seized the website of the gang to stop its operation entirely.

FBI Catches Hive Ransomware Group

According to a report by Scientific American, the FBI has penetrated the system of Hive after many months. The organization only used decryption keys to unlock some of the stolen systems by the cybercriminals.

There came a time when the FBI dived deeper into the system until it encountered the website of the group. The agency destroyed its website to make sure that the gang would suffer from long-term impacts.

For some reason, it's interesting to know how Hive gets baffled about the control of its servers. While it's careful that someone can access its system, it does not have any second thoughts about those who can rent the services on a space.

Of course, the recent success of the FBI was not only done by itself. The organization also sought help from other law enforcement agencies in Germany and the Netherlands.

At the time, the Hive ransomware gang managed to extort over $100 million from over 1,500 victims. They attacked thousands of victims in more than 80 countries around the world.

How Dangerous is Hive?

According to Gizmodo, there are seven reasons why Hive is a dangerous group of hackers and why you should avoid them at all costs.

Public Health Agency Hack in Costa Rica: The group has gained access to some of the health departments in Costa Rica in 2022. It forced some of the facilities to shut down, including the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).

MediaMarkt Attack: One of the largest retail shops in Europe was reportedly under attack. Hive managed to get $240 million worth of ransom payment.

Ohio Healthcare System Hack: In 2021, Hive attacked Memorial Healthcare System, which is based in Ohio. The group stole confidential information from over 200,000 patients.

PGN Hack in Indonesia: Even a major energy provider in Indonesia could not escape Hive's vicious grasp in 2022. About 400 GB of data was reportedly stolen.

Bank of Zambia Attack: Hive's coverage was so that it also reached Africa to attack the Bank of Zambia. When the bank denied its payment request, it sent a picture of the male's sex organ to the hackers.

Massive IT Shutdown in Spain: Hive even shut down hundreds of IT systems in Navarro, Spain in May 2022.

Louisiana Healthcare Hack: Although the FBI was able to stop the extent of the damage during the 2022 attack, the hackers were able to retrieve confidential data from over 270,000 patients in the Lake Charles Memorial Health System. Apparently, not a single trace of malware was detected at that time.