The operation is being billed as one of the most significant disruptions

nafizcristia97

The operation is being billed as one of the most significant disruptions of the cyber-criminal world. The FBI, Europol and other countries have also been involved in the long-running operation but it is the first of its kind to be led by the UK. Criminals use Lockbit to hack into computers belonging to companies and organisations and lock users out until a ransom is paid. They often also steal data and threaten to release it. The group emerged around 2019 and has established itself as a dominant player.Others reported to have been hit include suppliers to the NHS, law firm Allen & Overy and Boeing, the aerospace company.

Some estimates suggest it holds around 20-25% of the market for ransomware. An image of the screen of LockBit's website, that reads "The site is now under control of law enforcement" alongside images of flags of various countries that participated Brazil Mobile Number List  in the operation Image caption, The message that appears on LockBit's website after it was taken over by law enforcement agencies Among the high-profile reported targets of Lockbit are Royal Mail, which was hit in January 2023, disrupting international deliveries. Last November, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) was also hit with major repercussions in the financial world.



The operation has been under way covertly for some time, with law enforcement gathering data before moving to a more public phase on Monday evening. The NCA's technical experts had been able to get inside of Lockbit's own systems and take control. In doing so, they were able to steal a large amount of the criminal group's own data about its activities. Since many companies do not admit they have been hacked and sometimes pay a ransom, this data may well provide a unique insight into the true scale of the group's work as well. As they moved into the more open phase of the operation, law enforcement went public about their infiltration.