The FBI served a globally recognized hacking group a dose of their own medicine and shut the network down.
The government infiltrated a ransomware gang called Hive and thwarted a $130 million ransomware demand that impacted over 300 people. News about the take down leaked early Thursday after a message from Hive's website read "The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized this site as part of a coordinated law enforcement action taken against Hive Ransomware."
German Federal Criminal Police and the Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit were also involved in the effort and seized Hive's servers.
"Last night, the Justice Department dismantled an international ransomware network responsible for extorting and attempting to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from victims in the United States and around the world," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The Justice Department said Hive has targeted over 1,500 victims in over 80 countries over the years and racked up over $100 million.
No arrests have been made in connection with the takedown but Garland said the investigation is ongoing and to "stay tuned."
Some of the targeted victims in the thwarted attack include a Texas school district, which the group was set to demand $5 million, and a Louisiana hospital that would have forked over $3 million.
Jared Watkin, senior vice president, diabetes care, at Abbott Laboratories, joined Michelle Castillo from the CES 2022 floor to discuss the future of health tech, including Abbott's consumer-facing biowearable called Lingo. The accessory is supposed to send real-time biomarker information like glucose or ketone levels to the Lingo app for the wearer to review. "The idea is that it's a window into your body," Watkin said. "It gives you insight into what's going on in your body and the certain circumstances that you otherwise wouldn't be able to have."
Aaron Jefferson, VP of product at Luminar, joined Cheddar to discuss partnering with automaker Volvo to bring its LIDAR (light detection and ranging) tech into autonomous cars capable of safely driving on the highway. While companies like Tesla have come under fire due to safety issues with its self-driving technology, Jefferson noted how his company's tech differs. "Our LIDAR, its iris sensor that's really set for production, is able to sense, understand, and give the vehicle confidence to react accordingly such that you don't have these same types of issues," he said. The Ride Pilot technology in Volvo vehicles will be rolled out in California following safety testing.
The fintech app backed by billionaire Mark Cuban called Dave made its public debut on the Nasdaq Thursday via a SPAC merger. CEO and co-founder Jason Wilk spoke to Cheddar's Kristen Scholer about the IPO and how his company's services distinguish it from traditional banks. "Customers come to us because they're tired of paying $20 billion of overdraft fees, and they come to Dave, they download our app, and within minutes they can get access to $250 of no interest credit, which we give them through our own proprietary machine learning model," he told Cheddar.
Stephanie Linnartz, president of Marriott International, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the launch of the Marriott Design Lab, a new facility within its Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters to explore innovative tech offerings for bolstering the guest experience. "It's all around figuring out how we can innovate in the guest room in the public space, looking at how we can use robotics, improve sustainability, etcetera," she said. Some short-term changes in the future Linnartz also noted is an expansion of the chain's mobile capabilities to make check-in and check-out an easier process for guests, as well as mobile room service, from the feedback it received during the pandemic.
Nike has initiated a lawsuit against athletic apparel retailer and competitor Lululemon over claims of patent infringement. The sneaker giant is claiming the technology in their rival's MIRROR home gym was patented back in 1983.
Adi Robertson, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Cheddar News to break down the battle between two NFT collections by Phunky Ape Yacht Club and PHAYC that are selling plagiarized Bored Ape Yacht Club designs.
Dan Diasio, EY Global Artificial Intelligence Consulting Leader, joins Cheddar News to discuss the role of artificial intelligence for everyday consumers, what hurdles are holding back for greater A.I. adoption, and advice for businesses using this emerging tech.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Founder of Unlimited Tomorrow breaks down how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible; Chief Technology Officer of Zebra Technologies explains what the future of collaboration between robots and humans may look like; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Mystery of the Roman Skulls.'
Easton LaChapelle, Founder and CEO of Unlimited Tomorrow, and joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible. LaChappelle was recently featured in a short film called 'GENERATION IMPACT: THE INVENTOR,' which follows the story of a 14-year-old girl receiving a True Limb and can be found on HP's Digital Hub 'The Garage.'
