The Department of Justice announced on December 19 that the FBI had been working a disruption campaign against the ransomware group ALPHV, or BlackCat. The operation resulted in the seizure of several of the groups websites, a decryption tool to restore stolen data, and visibility into their networks. International participation in the efforts included law enforcement agencies from Australia, Denmark, Germany, Spain and the U.K.

ALPHV/BlackCat has been known for ransomware attacks since 2021. its ransomware can customize for different operating systems and is viable against a wide range of targets. ALPHV/BlackCat offers its ransomware as a service, selling its services and functioning as an advertiser. The disruption has created further threats from the group, along with allowing other ransomware groups to approach current BlackCat members to entice them to join their operations. BlackCat’s website on the dark web has been seized and closed. So far, the FBI has offering a decryption tool to over 500 victims, saving organizations from paying about $68 million in ransom demands.

Read More: BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware Site Seized in International Takedown Effort