Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco speaks to The Associated Press during an interrogation astatine the Department of Justice successful Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Monaco told the AP that the nationalist should expect to spot much arrests and instrumentality enforcement enactment arsenic the Justice Department deals with the menace of ransomware. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (Manuel Balce Ceneta,Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTON – Two suspected hackers accused of ransomware attacks resulting successful 5,000 infections person been arrested arsenic portion of a planetary cybercrime crackdown, Europol announced Monday.

The two, who were not identified by name, were arrested past week by Romanian authorities. Officials accidental the attacks, linked to the ransomware pack known arsenic REvil, yielded astir fractional a cardinal euros successful ransom payments.

The arrests were portion of a 17-nation cognition that progressive the United States.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco appeared to foreshadow Monday's announcement successful an interrogation with The Associated Press past week, saying that “in the days and weeks to come, you're going to spot much arrests.”

The Justice Department has tried aggregate ways to code a ransomware question that it regards arsenic a nationalist information and economical threat, including done prosecutions similar the ones announced Monday.

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The Justice Department successful June seized $2.3 cardinal successful cryptocurrency from a outgo made by Colonial Pipeline pursuing a ransomware onslaught that caused the institution to temporarily halt operations, creating fuel shortages successful parts of the country.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.