Compatriot of the no less famous LockBitthe Russian cybercriminal gang BlackCat, aka ALPHV is under the control of a hacker hunt, launched by the US State Department.
The State Department announced Wednesday that it would offer a $10 million reward for information about the Blackcat ransomware group that hacked UnitedHealth Group in February.
“ The ALPHV BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service group compromised computer networks in critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and around the world, deploying ransomware on targeted systems, disabling security features within the victim’s network, stealing sensitive confidential information, demanding payment to restore access, and threatening to make the stolen data public if victims do not pay a ransom “, declared the State Department in a press release this Wednesday, March 27.
“Reward for Justice”, a program to fight cybercrime in the United States
Under the department’s Rewards for Justice program, administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, a reward of up to $10 million is being offered for information leading to the identification or location of anyone engaged in “malicious cyber activity.” against American infrastructure on American territory. on behalf of a foreign government.
Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the UnitedHealth group which manages the payment systems of most hospitals in the United States, was hit by a cyberattack initiated by the BlackCat gang on February 21. Many patients have had to pay out of pocket for their medications and health services due to the effects of the attack. This hack of an unprecedented scale resulted in more than $300,000 in claims.
In mid-March, the healthcare giant said it was testing the software it needed to restore following the attack, but did not yet have a date for completing the recovery. The company has restored almost all of its systems for processing prescriptions, as well as billing and payments, the Associated Press reported.
BlackCat, king of ransomware-as-a-service
The ALPHV group, or Blackcat, was first deployed in 2021. Members of the group “developed and maintained” ransomware and recruited affiliates to deploy it, the statement said. This gang, known for its ransomware attacks, recently hacked the shipping company Corsica Ferries.
The hackers said earlier this month that UnitedHealth paid a $22 million ransom to try to get its systems back, but whether Blackcat honored its end of the bargain has not been made public.
Shortly after the hack, the group posted a fake press release on its website falsely claiming it had been seized by law enforcement, making it appear as if they had shut down operations.
Ransomware is probably the most lucrative method of cyberattacks. Indeed, in 2023, ransomware cyberattacks brought in $1.1 billion. BlackCat is not the only one cracking down in this area. LockBit, recently dismantled, and even Conti, are competing for their share of the ransomware pie.
Source : Reuters, State.gov
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