thwarted 500 ransomware attacks since 2021

The division of the DHS of the United States has stated that it has stopped over 500 ransomware attacks since 2021. In the same period, the Homeland Security Investigations managed to obtain 4.3 billion dollars from crypto scams. 

DHS and crypto scam: the division has stopped 500 ransomware attacks since 2021 

According to what is reported, a division of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that it has stopped 500 ransomware attacks from 2021 to today.

Specifically, it is the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that deals with cybercrime and has managed to stop such attacks before they occurred. 

In this regard, Mike Prado, deputy director of the Cyber Crimes Center of HSI, emphasized that the operation has prevented 537 intrusions since its inception in 2021.

Only in the period between October 2023 and September 30, 2024, the division of DHS disrupted as many as 150 ransomware plots. 

But it doesn’t end here. In addition to preventing crypto scams from occurring, the HSI has also managed to obtain 4.3 billion dollars in stolen cryptocurrencies over the last 3 years. Of these, “only” 180 million dollars were recovered last year. 

Regarding the techniques used, the details have not been revealed. Certainly, however, Prado commented on the work of the HSI as follows:

“The investigators analyze Internet traffic in search of indicators of malicious activity, keep an eye on unpatched software vulnerabilities, and work to understand how ransomware gangs exploit gaps in organizations’ security. Using this knowledge, the agents can determine when certain attacks are about to occur, often before a breach happens”.

DHS and crypto scam: the actions to stop the hackers and the record data from the FBI

On one hand, the DHS reveals its achievements against crypto scams, while on the other hand, the FBI highlights record losses. 

In fact, last month, the Federal Bureau Investigation of the USA reported that only in 2023, the total losses from crypto scams were 5.6 billion dollars. 

Obviously, in this count, in addition to ransomware attacks, there are also all the other techniques used by cybercriminals that involve cryptocurrencies. 

In this regard, the FBI stated that it received over 69,000 reports from the public, both for cybercrimes and financial frauds involving crypto. This figure represents only 10% of the total reports received by the FBI in 2023. However, the figure of 5.6 billion dollars in total losses represents about half of the overall loss suffered by the complainants. 

Specifically, the FBI emphasizes that cryptocurrencies are used by hackers practically in all schemes. Among others, the FBI mentions technical support, trust and romantic stories, investments, and scams involving government impersonation. 

According to their analysis, the FBI has identified that in 2023 the crypto scams with the greatest losses have affected the investment sector, with approximately 3.9 billion dollars lost. 

The phishing attack on the Lego website

Just in these days, there has been talk about the game manufacturer Lego and the crypto scam that involved it. 

In fact, it seems that the hacker has breached the Lego website and managed to insert a banner on its homepage, where to promote the purchase of a fake Lego Coin. 

By clicking on “acquista” on this banner, users would have been directed to the phishing site that offered fake ERC-20 tokens. 

Fortunately, the same company, after various reports, managed to intervene and remove the fraudulent banner from its site. Lego stated that no customer account was compromised.