Justice Department seizes website of major ransomware gang
By ERIC TUCKER and FRANK BAJAK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has seized the website of a prolific ransomware gang that has heavily targeted hospitals and other health care providers. The website of the group, known as Hive, was offline Thursday. It’s not immediately clear how the seizure, disclosed in a takedown notice on the gang’s dark website, will affect its long-term operations. The Justice Department has scheduled a news conference to discuss the action. It’s the latest effort by the department to tackle the scourge of ransomware. In such attacks, hackers lock up or encrypt victims computer networks, steal data and demand large sums.
