'The private sector also has an equally important role to play and we must continue to take cyber threats seriously and invest accordingly to harden our defenses.' 'Holding cyber criminals accountable and disrupting the ecosystem that allows them to operate is the best way to deter and defend against future attacks of this nature,' Blount said. 'So today I want to emphasize to leaders of corporations and communities alike: The threat of severe ransomware attacks poses a clear and present danger to your organization, to your company, your customers, your shareholders and your long-term success.'Ĭolonial CEO Joseph Blount said Monday that he was 'grateful' for the FBI's work. 'No organization is immune,' Monaco said. It is not the first time the FBI has had made such a recovery, Monaco said, but it comes as cyberwarfare has escalated, drawing comparisons to the terror war after 9/11. The transfers represented payments made by Colonial that had been transferred to an 'address' whose password or 'private key' was known to the FBI, which then recovered the money. In the Colonial case, investigators were able to track multiple transfers of bitcoin by reviewing a public ledger, according to court documents. The action also comes as President Joe Biden prepares for his first meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin, where cybersecurity and Russia's cyber aggression is expected to be a major subject of discussion. 'We will continue to target the entire ransomware ecosystem to disrupt and deter these attacks.'

“Ransom payments are the fuel that propels the digital extortion engine, and today’s announcement demonstrates that the United States will use all available tools to make these attacks more costly and less profitable for criminal enterprises,' Monaco said. Federal authorities dealt a blow to a criminal hacking group that forced the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, recovering the 'majority' of the $4.4 million in cryptocurrency ransom paid to restore the energy system, Justice Department officials said Monday.ĭeputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the FBI was able to 'turn the tables' on the group known as the 'DarkSide,' believed to be based in Russia.Īt a Justice Department briefing, FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said investigators were able to trace the payment to a 'virtual currency wallet,' then seized $2.3 million in cryptocurrency.Īlthough it is unlikely the hackers would ever face charges in the U.S., Monaco and Abbate said the action represented a significant strike against such groups, 'depriving' them of the illicit benefit they seek.

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