US shuts down major ransomware network Hive

The victims of the ransomware network included hospitals, school districts, financial firms, and critical infrastructure, the US Department of Justice said [File: Kacper Pempel/Reuters]

The United States has seized the website of a major ransomware network, the US Department of Justice announced, accusing Hive ransomware actors of extorting more than $100m from more than 1,500 victims around the world.

In a statement on Thursday, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Department of Justice had dismantled “an international ransomware network responsible for extorting and attempting to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from victims”.