Russian Hackers Went Off the Grid; Who Did It?
The hacking group REvil, which was responsible for attacks using ransomware, has suddenly disappeared from the web. This may have something to do with US pressure on the Russian Federation government.
- The REvil group responsible for ransomware attacks has suddenly disappeared from the web;
- The website overseeing ransom payments to the group's account and its blog have stopped working;
- This may be related to US pressure towards Russia.
A week ago the web was abuzz with information about one of the largest ransomware attacks in history. It was carried out by a hacker group called REvil, which operated in countries of the former USSR. The team attacked only countries that were competitors of Russia, which was supposed to guarantee them the favor of the local government. However, the situation may have changed drastically as REvil suddenly disappeared from the web.
The website overseeing ransom payments to the group's bank account and its blog stopped working. There is also no way to reach any of the hackers belonging to REvil. This has led to speculation about the reason for this disappearance. According to some, it is a result of the pressure the USA has put on Russian Federation.
In a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden touched on the recent attacks. He later revealed to reporters that he pressed the Russian leader to address the issue of the said hackers. If he refused to take the expected action, the US would retaliate against the servers used in the hacks.
The fact that REvil ceased to operate shortly after the two politicians spoke may indicate that the government of either country has indeed taken action against the hackers. Officially, no details of the group's disappearance were disclosed. However, some experts point out that cases of hacking teams suddenly going off the grid are nothing new, and it does not have to be related to the actions of politicians either.
Ultimately, it is difficult to say what caused the closure of REvil's websites. What we do know is that the group responsible for attacking hundreds of companies in America and Europe will not cause any more problems for now.
