Cops around the world have relaunched LockBit's website after they shut it down in February – and it's now counting down the hours to reveal documen

Fed-run LockBit site back from the dead and vows to really spill the beans on gang

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2024-05-07 11:30:05

Cops around the world have relaunched LockBit's website after they shut it down in February – and it's now counting down the hours to reveal documents that could unmask the ransomware group.

The resurrection of the website – which was formerly the hub of LockBit's extortion operations, where victims were listed and stolen data leaked online – is a follow-up to the initial seizure by international law enforcement agencies that took place in February. Termed Operation Cronos, agencies like the FBI, NCA, and Europol took control of LockBit's Tor-hidden site, a major disruption for the ransomware gang.

Part of the February takeover was repurposing the LockBit website instead of simply nuking it. Where ransom threats with timers and leaked info once were, the Feds replaced them with articles detailing the inner workings of the LockBit crew themselves. The police-controlled site eventually went offline, though is now back counting down to more disclosures.

That all said, the earlier cop-written articles ended up being pretty anticlimactic. For instance, one piece titled, "Who is LockbitSupp", which was expected to expose the person who serves as the face for the cyber-cartel, simply told us LockBitSupp lives in Russia and drives a Mercedes car, and may be talking to the police.