U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco issues a warning against ransomware attacks. (Photo: AFP-Yonhap)
[Anchor]
The U.S. Justice Department says it has recovered more than 2 million dollars worth of cryptocurrency that was paid in ransom to hackers who shut down a major fuel pipeline last month.
The cyberattack was attributed to DarkSide, a Russian-based group.
The attack on the Colonial Pipeline caused oil shortages and price increase across the eastern United States.
The BBC's Nada Tawfik reports.
[Reporter]
The Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the U.S. government was able to turn the table on DarkSide.
The FBI had been investigating the hackers for more than a year.
Once it attributed the Colonial Pipeline hack to them, the agency then identified its virtual currency wallet and seized the criminal proceeds -- 63.7 Bitcoins, now valued at about 2.3 million dollars.
The White House has urged corporations to increase security to protect critical infrastructure from ransomware attacks.
The topic is expected to be raised by President Joe Biden when he meets the Russian leader Vladimir Putin this month.
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