The Justice Department has taken down Blackcat ransomware group, the hackers behind the cyberattack on Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network.
According to a Dec. 19 news release from the department, the FBI gained access to Blackcat's computer network and took control of several websites operated by the group.
The FBI said Blackcat operatives have infiltrated computer networks both in the U.S. and internationally, resulting in disruptions to critical U.S. infrastructure, impacting government facilities, emergency services, defense industrial base companies, critical manufacturing, healthcare and public health facilities.
Additionally, various corporations, government entities and schools have been affected by Blackcat, with the group targeting the computer networks of more than 1,000 victims.
In February, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on Lehigh Valley's IT networks and demanded $5 million in ransom. The group also allegedly posted 2,800 pictures of breast cancer patients from the health system undressed from the waist up.