JUST IN: FBI recovers cryptocurrency ransom paid to Colonial Pipeline hackers

FBI recovers cryptocurrency ransom paid to U.S. Colonial Pipeline hackers

The FBI has recovered millions of dollars in cryptocurrency paid in ransom to hackers of Colonial Pipeline, that led to the shutdown of gas supply to America’s East Coast last month.

The CNN, which first reported the recovery said the Justice Department will announce details of the operation led by the FBI, with the cooperation of the Colonial Pipeline operator.

Colonial Pipeline Co. CEO Joseph Blount told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published last month that the company complied with the $4.4 million ransom demand because officials didn’t know the extent of the intrusion by hackers and how long it would take to restore operations.

But behind the scenes, the company had taken early steps to notify the FBI and followed instructions that helped investigators track the payment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the hackers, believed to be based in Russia.

US officials have linked the Colonial attack to a criminal hacking group known as Darkside that is said to share its malware tools with other criminal hackers.