Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the infiltration of the Hive ransomware group that has targeted more than 1,500 victims, including hospitals, school districts, financial firms and critical infrastructure, in over 80 countries. Since July 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has worked to penetrate Hive’s computer networks and capture over 300 decryption keys, offering them to victims around the world who were under attack, thwarting over $130 million in ransom demands, according to FBI Director Christopher Gray. Hive is thought to operate as one of the top-five ransomware networks and has heavily focused on healthcare facilities as targets.
According to the government, yesterday’s operation successfully disrupted a Hive ransomware attack on a Louisiana hospital, saving the victim from paying $3 million in ransom, and prevented another attack that targeted a Texas school.