US Recovers $2.3M Worth If Cryptocurrency Paid to Colonial Pipeline Hackers

The US Justice Department on Monday recovered some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline Co, cracking down on hackers who launched the most disruptive US cyberattack on record.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said investigators had seized 63.7 bitcoins, now valued at about $2.3 million, paid by Colonial (COLPI.UL) after last month's hack of its systems that led to massive shortages at US East Coast gas stations, Reuters reported.

The Justice Department has "found and recaptured the majority" of the ransom paid by Colonial, Monaco said.

An affidavit filed on Monday said the FBI was in possession of a private key to unlock a bitcoin wallet that had received most of the funds. It was unclear how the FBI gained access to the key.