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There are more technical details in the linked affidavit (page 6 and 7): https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1402056/downl... They kept following transactions on the blockchain, but it's not clear how the private key became in the posession of the FBI.
Netsec Twitter's theory is that the attacker(s) had a VPS operating in the US that the FBI was able to access and which contained the key to the wallet where the final payment ended up.
There are more technical details in the linked affidavit (page 6 and 7): https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1402056/downl... They kept following transactions on the blockchain, but it's not clear how the private key became in the posession of the FBI.
Netsec Twitter's theory is that the attacker(s) had a VPS operating in the US that the FBI was able to access and which contained the key to the wallet where the final payment ended up.
The most interesting and unknown question is how the DOJ/FBI came to be in possession of the private key.
And yeah... if the crackers sent the funds to an exchange they were comically dumb.
The most interesting and unknown question is how the DOJ/FBI came to be in possession of the private key.
A private key is not needed if the funds are on an exchange. Apparently there is a warrant to seize property on Northern California so I guess it might be Coinbase. And yeah... if the crackers sent the funds to an exchange they were comically dumb.
The most interesting and unknown question is how the DOJ/FBI came to be in possession of the private key.
A private key is not needed if the funds are on an exchange. Apparently there is a warrant to seize property on Northern California so I guess it might be Coinbase. And yeah... if the crackers sent the funds to an exchange they were comically dumb.
It seem more likely that the FBI/NSA had and gained some access to the gang's infrastructure and seized the money.
Transmitting ransom money to an exchange without any type of tumbler or atomic swapping, that it's not a realistic scenario.
Maybe they tried to use an ineffective tumbler?
There are more technical details in the linked affidavit (page 6 and 7): https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1402056/downl... They kept following transactions on the blockchain, but it's not clear how the private key became in the posession of the FBI.
Netsec Twitter's theory is that the attacker(s) had a VPS operating in the US that the FBI was able to access and which contained the key to the wallet where the final payment ended up.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Netsec Twitter's theory is that the attacker(s) had a VPS operating in the US that the FBI was able to access and which contained the key to the wallet where the final payment ended up.
I am by far no ransomware expert, but it really seems like amateur hour if they were running a Linux based Bitcoin full node using the mainline CLI daemon and client, with a wallet, on some hosting company geographically within the United States. Why would it need to be in the US?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A private key is not needed if the funds are on an exchange. Apparently there is a warrant to seize property on Northern California so I guess it might be Coinbase. And yeah... if the crackers sent the funds to an exchange they were comically dumb.
The press release specifically mentions that the cryptocurrency was seized through FBI having posession of the private key.
The most interesting and unknown question is how the DOJ/FBI came to be in possession of the private key.