The US Justice Department said Monday it has clawed back $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline Co. The money was extorted by well-known criminal Internet operators from Russia known as DarkSide. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said investigators had seized 63.7 Bitcoins, now valued at about $2.3 million, paid by Colonial after last month’s hack of its systems that led to massive shortages at U.S. East Coast gas stations. Sadly, the ransom was valued at more like five million US when Colonial paid DarkSide a few weeks ago. No one is in custody of course because the DarkSide perpetrators are probably drinking wine in Moscow.
