The hacker group, Lockbit he has just performed a daring operation. In fact, this network of cybercriminals attacked China’s largest bank using ransomware, ie Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). For those who don’t know, Lockbit is a hacker group made up of Russian-speaking elements. Most of them come from countries of the former Soviet bloc.
Lockbit has a very clear guideline. It does not attack Russia and the main allies of Kremlin. However, it turns out that China is a great ally of Moscow. Russia has signed a sort of non-aggression pact with the Lockbit hackers. Moscow leaves them alone, and in return the group does not attack the interests of Russia or its main allies.
However, the group has carte blanche to carry out its cyber attacks towards the West. With the recent attack on ICBC, has Lockbit crossed a red line? According to the site information Bloomberg, the Chinese bank quickly warned its customers about the disruptions caused by this cyberattack. Concurrent sources indicate that the US branch of ICBC was the most affected by the attack of the cybercriminal network.
The repercussions were not long in coming at the level of US Treasury. Indeed, the US institution bond market was disrupted. When we know the weight of the American Treasury in maintaining the global economy, we realize the audacity of the Russian-speaking hackers. Currently, Lockbit is undoubtedly the most formidable hacker collective when it comes to cyber attacks. They have, to their credit, approx 2,000 attacksrecorded since 2019.
You will have understood, it is not a good thing to find yourself in the line of fire of the group. Lockbit has made a habit of signing their attacks on their site, but this time they didn’t communicate. This shows that the hackers realized the extent of their operation targeting China’s largest bank. Should the network wait for a backlash?
Will Russia pound its fist on the table to preserve its privileged relations with China? For now, nothing has been fixed yet. What is certain is that there will be an after effect and this could be a blow to Lockbit’s activities. This cyberattack comes at a time when Xi Jipping need to meet Joe Biden this Wednesday November 15 on the side of the summit of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).
