Dutch police and other law enforcement agencies have managed to trick the DeadBolt ransomware operators into releasing 150 decryption keys for free.
The method of obtaining decryption keys was found by a Dutch incident response company called Responders.NU, who shared the method with the police. The basis for the trick iss that it was possible to cancel an unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction before payment went through through, but after the decryption key was released.
Decryption keys
The police wanted to emphasize that it is always important to file a complaint about cybercrime, even though the chances of apprehending the cybercriminals may seem slim. So they started by helping victims, from 13 countries, who had filed a complaint with their local police.
Most of the victims who they helped should have received instructions on how to access their personal decryption key by now.
If you have not been notified by the police but you still want to check if you are one of the lucky ones, you can follow the instructions on the site deadbolt.responders.nu and find out if your decryption key is available.
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