The United States and its partners are going on the offensive against ransomware groups, but there are limitations in replicating the success they’ve apparently had against the Russian-led gang REvil. And while this “whack-a-mole” approach may present some challenges to Russian authorities, it will ultimately risk playing into the Kremlin’s hands by distracting the West from other Russian cyber activities. An unnamed U.S. foreign partner successfully hacked into Russian-led ransomware group REvil’s systems, forcing the closure of several of its websites on Oct. 17, Reuters reported Oct. 22. The multi-country operation, which reportedly had been in the works since earlier this year, accelerated after REvil’s high-profile and sophisticated July Kaseya ransomware attack....
