The Department of Justice (DoJ) and the FBI returned the money and seized the bitcoin used to launder it following an investigation after one of the victims, who paid a ransom after being attacked in May 2021, contacted authorities. It also led to the seizure of $ 120,000 paid in Bitcoin earlier this year.
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In the case of the Kansas Health Facility, the hospital paid the $ 100,000 ransom, but also contacted the FBI, which tracked the payment through the blockchain and identified accounts used by capital launderers in China who worked with the North Korean-backed ransomware group.
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Authorities in April and May were able to collect both the ransom paid by Kansas facilities and that paid by Colorado medical providers and victims overseas. Maui’s ransomware was first identified in May 2021. Investigators linked the attackers to the North Korean government and determined that its targets were health services.
