Hunters International offers free decryptors as it ceases operations

Operations of the Hunters International ransomware-as-a-service group which counts the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the U.S. Marshals Service among its victims have been shut down, with attackers providing free decryption keys to all organizations that have been compromised by the gang's intrusions, TechCrunch reports.

"After careful consideration and in light of recent developments, we have decided to close the Hunters International project. This decision was not made lightly, and we recognize the impact it has on the organizations we have interacted with," said the hackers in a post on Hunters International's dark web page. While Hunters International's reasons for dismantling its operations remain uncertain, the group was noted by Recorded Future threat intelligence analyst Allan Liska to have been moving toward the rebranded World Leaks operation. Hunters International may have decided to shift to using new infrastructure to be less vulnerable to future law enforcement takedowns, Liska added.