Fed agencies ‘leveling up’ on disruptive cyber tactics, former FBI pro says
June 27, 2024 – Published on IT Brew
In 2019, when Trevor Hilligoss and other members of the FBI’s Cyber Task Force team would dismantle a cybercriminal operation, they would seize the domain, redirect the site, add a new splash-page with the name of the federal operation, take down back-end infrastructure, and do a few sanctions and indictments.
The disruption usually stopped there, Hilligoss said. These days, he and the cybersecurity and former FBI pros who spoke with IT Brew see law enforcement agencies stringing together wins with some extra swagger and alongside international cooperation from units like the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
The US Department of Justice podium has been getting plenty of use in early 2024, as its leaders announce cyber-defender victories—all with some level of international cooperation:
- The DOJ and NCA, on February 20, 2024, announced its seizure of the LockBit ransomware group’s infrastructure—and a few months later revealed the alleged identity of its admin.
- On April 18, the DOJ announced an international takedown of four “LabHost” domains supporting a spoofing service.
- The FBI’s Operation Endgame, beginning on May 28, “disrupted more than 100 servers to defeat multiple malware variants,” the FBI shared.
- On May 29, the DOJ announced a dismantling of a 911 botnet.
The NCA, upon announcement of the LockBit takedown, plastered a giant image of the group’s alleged admin, and revealed affiliates —a psychological, reputation-damaging approach, according to Hilligoss, to impact indicted cybercriminals feeling safe in countries that won’t extradite them.
While agencies have racked up swagger-y wins, some have noted recently noted a rebound in ransomware activity. LockBit, in fact, led ransomware victim volume for May 2024, according to GuidePoint Security’s latest report, citing that the LockBit takedown “may have encouraged the group to proceed with emptying a backlog of victims,” the contributors wrote.
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