Business Daily Media

The Times Real Estate

.

Global Law Enforcers Seek Trend Micro's Help in Taking Down Top Ransomware Threat Group LockBit

Trend helps shield the world from an unreleased ransomware attack and delivers advanced protection to customers

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 February 2024 - Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) a global cybersecurity leader, today revealed its critical role in helping global law enforcement partners disrupt mega-ransomware group LockBit, and kill the viability of its long-term malware plans.

Through undercover infiltration, Trend helped prevent the release of the group's next malware products and automatically installed protection for Trend Micro customers, even before the group themselves had finished testing.

Robert McArdle, a leader in Trend Micro's cybercrime research team and collaborator with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Crime Agency (NCA), said: "We are honored that our threat intelligence is uniquely valuable to global law enforcement in the shared mission to make the world safer."

This group was responsible for about 25 percent* of all ransomware leaks in 2023 and caused billions of dollars in losses for thousands of global victims over the past four years.

McArdle continued, "Last week Trend secured global Microsoft users from a critical vulnerability and this week we were a part of dethroning the most critical threat actor group in the world. Now, insiders aren't naïve enough to assume this will eliminate the crime group, but we know that no sane criminal would want to be involved with this group again."

Details from behind the scenes are unfolding and include cryptocurrency seizure, arrests, indictments, imposing sanctions and additional technical support for victims. The operation took over LockBit's leak site, disclosing information and personal identities of group members and details of their previous works. These actions essentially make the group unwelcome and untrusted in the cybercrime world—and therefore unviable as an underground business.

Ransomware is one of the most serious cyber threats facing organizations today, known for disrupting schools, hospitals, governments, and businesses and imperiling critical national infrastructure. It does all of this while lining the pockets of a few small cybercrime groups: last year, victims paid over $1 billion to these groups and their affiliates, a record figure.

This work ultimately supported the following outcomes:

  • Trend's delivery of protection in advance against LockBit-NG-Dev for its customers.
  • The neutralization of a potentially prolific strain of ransomware— preventing its use in future enterprises these actors may look to run
  • A law enforcement operation that will hopefully see the end of LockBit as we know it and sets a new benchmark for international collaboration across law enforcement and private partners.

While LockBit was, without doubt, the largest and most impactful Ransomware operation globally, this disruption makes it very clear that all criminal affiliates should strongly reconsider any involvement with them in the future and that in partnering with this organization, these associates have put themselves at increased risk of law enforcement action.

An upcoming blog will cover findings from Trend's analysis of the next version of LockBit ransomware malware will be issued Thursday by NCA and will be made available here: https://www.trendmicro.com/en_hk/research/24/b/lockbit-attempts-to-stay-afloat-with-a-new-version.html

*Based on Trend Micro analysis and tracking of ransomware leak sites, LockBit accounted for approximately 25 percent of all ransomware leaks in 2023.
Hashtag: #trendmicro #visionone #trendvisionone #lockbit





The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world.

News from Asia

Backbase and Synpulse partner to accelerate banking transformation across APAC

Combining Backbase's Engagement Banking Platform with Synpulse's regional expertise to deliver customer-centric solutions SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - Backbase, the leade...

Technology driving positive outlook for Malaysian small businesses

Malaysia’s small businesses lead the region in innovation Younger entrepreneurs dominate small business landscape AI investment on the rise ...

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Accelerates AI Ambitions, Achieves Certification under NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center Program

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), one of the world's fastest-growing data centre colocation service providers headquartered in Singa...

HL Assurance Becomes First in Singapore to Launch Core Travel Insurance Coverage Add-Ons

HL Assurance addresses key concerns for the modern traveller in their new combination of essential travel insurance add-ons. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - Singaporeans can ...

USPACE Partners with AICO to Launch 6,000-Satellite Constellation Plan

— Hybrid Constellation Focused on Direct Mobile-Satellite Connectivity to Empower “Belt and Road” Digital Future HONG KONG SAR - EQS Newswire - 13 March 2025 - At the "100 Satellites" exhibition he...

Octa broker receives the 'Best use of AI in fintech' award

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 March 2025 - OctaTrader, Octa broker's proprietary trading platform, was recently awarded for the 'Best Use of AI in Fintech 2025' by Global Bu...

Visa offers seamless tap-to-ride experiences for Visa cardholders on Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, has continued its role as an Official Co-sponsor of the Inauguration Cer...

Make a Splash This Summer: Celebrate Water and Culture at Five Iconic Bangkok Destinations with ONESIAM

ONESIAM’s Songkran celebrations, part of Siam Piwat’s guest experience program, offer tourists an elevated summer journey through culture, tradition, and immersive festivities BANGKOK, THAILAND - ...

DHL Express Hong Kong becomes the Official Partner of Kai Tak Sports Park

Both parties will collaborate to drive the growth of sports and entertainment events to the city and help to foster the development of Hong Kong into a premier hub for mega live events ...

Henkel presents the next edition of the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for outstanding female scientists

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY - Media OutReach Newswire - 13 March 2025 - For the fourth time, Henkel is proud to present the Martha Schwarzkopf Award for Women in Science, dedicated to supporting and empow...

Empowering small businesses: Localsearch rolls out affordable digital solutions

New suite of digital solutions designed to boost visibility, engagement, and customer acquisition In response to a rapidly evolving digital lan...

Why Responsible Leadership is a Competitive Advantage for Small Businesses

In today’s fast-changing business landscape, leadership is evolving. While large corporations are reassessing their diversity, equity, and inclusi...

Why it’s a great time to include the EU in your export push

With the US market beset with unknowns, training your sights on mainland Europe in 2025 makes sound sense. Wondering whether the introduction o...

Success Isn’t About Labels—It’s About Mindset

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, I’ve been reflecting on my own success as a business owner and whether or not being a woman has playe...

Accelerate Action- Thryv champions women in business for International Women’s Day

Thryv® (NASDAQ: THRY), provider of the leading small business software platform, is celebrating International Women’s Day by shining a spotlight o...

Sydney Startup Launches AI Platform To Lead the Charge on Gender Pay Gap Action

EvenBetter.ai launches in Australia with First Customers Knight Frank and Fuji Australia Sydney-based startup EvenBetter.ai has today launched th...

Sell by LayBy