Justice Department Seizes and Forfeits Approximately $500,000 from North Korean Ransomware Actors and their Conspirators · 2022-07-19 (press release date)
The Justice Department today announced a complaint filed in the District of Kansas to forfeit cryptocurrency paid as ransom to North Korean hackers or otherwise used to launder such ransom payments. In May 2022, the FBI filed a sealed seizure warrant for the funds worth approximately half a million dollars. The seized funds include ransoms paid by health care providers in Kansas and Colorado.
“Maui” ransomware attacks on health-related organizations · July 2022 (seizure announced)
Para 163: “The Panel previously reported that “Maui” ransomware attributed to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea cyberthreat actors was used to target organizations in the public health sector. In July 2022, United States authorities announced the seizure of $500,000 worth of Bitcoin that was extorted from several health-related organizations in the United States. A cybersecurity firm concluded that the methodologies behind the “Maui” ransomware attacks were very similar to those used in past activities by Andariel. The firm further noted that the “Maui” ransomware campaign does not target specific industries and its victims include companies from multiple Member States.”