U.S. recovers $2.3m paid to hackers who shut down Colonial Pipeline

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday recovered some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline Co, after last month's hack of its systems that led to the shutdown of the East Coast pipeline.

"Following the money remains one of the most basic yet powerful tools we have," Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said at a press briefing.

"Ransom payments are the fuel that propels the digital extortion engine, and today's announcement demonstrates that the United States will use all available tools to make these attacks more costly and less profitable for criminal enterprises," Monaco said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency