"Law Enforcement Teams Score Major Win against DoppelPaymer Ransomware Gang"
On February 28, 2023, the German Regional Police, Ukrainian National Police, Europol, Dutch Police, and FBI joined forces to bring down the actors behind the criminal group known for launching attacks using the DoppelPaymer ransomware. In 2019, cybercriminals began using this ransomware to launch attacks against businesses, critical infrastructure, and industries. DoppelPaymer, a ransomware based on the BitPaymer ransomware and a member of the Dridex malware family, used a unique tool capable of degrading defense mechanisms by terminating security-related processes on infected systems. The Emotet malware facilitated the DoppelPaymer attacks. The malicious ransomware was spread through spam and phishing emails with attachments containing malicious JavaScript or VBScript code. The criminal group responsible for this ransomware relies on a double extortion strategy, launching a leak website in early 2020. The German authorities are aware of 37 ransomware victims, all of which are companies. The University Hospital in Düsseldorf was the victim of one of the most significant attacks. Between May 2019 and March 2021, victims paid at least 40 million euros. This article continues to discuss the takedown of the DoppelPaymer ransomware gang.