Ransomware Awareness – 7,000 LockBit Decryption Keys Recovered by FBI, Victims are Urged to Reach Out

The FBI announced yesterday it has obtained over 7,000 decryption keys from the LockBit ransomware group that victims can use to recover encrypted data for free. The FBI urges past victims of LockBit ransomware attacks to come forward: “From our ongoing disruption of LockBit, we now have over 7,000 decryption keys and can help victims reclaim their data and get back online,” the FBI Cyber Lead said in a keynote. Suspected victims are encouraged to visit the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

This announcement comes following the February 2024 take-down operation “Operation Cronos,” where law enforcement apprehended the LockBit gang and seized 34 servers that contained 2,500 decryption keys. It is estimated that the gang received $1 billion in ransom payments between June 2022 and February 2024. For more details regarding the recent FBI announcement, visit Bleeping Computer.