One of the most prolific ransomware gangs has officially been taken down:LockBit has been terrorizing thousands of companies, schools, governments, and even hospitals for the past two years, and was responsible for 25% of cybercrime attacks last year, according to Wired. A coalition of law enforcement agencies led by the UK National Crime Unit (NCA) was able to infiltrate the ransomware group’s systems and take them offline yesterday, the Washington Post reports. The operation has seized 11k domains and servers belonging to the group, accessed its source code, and exposed details of the group’s members and affiliates.

Honor among thieves? In 2022, LockBit issued an apology after its ransomware was used to attack a children’s hospital, helped the hospital unlock its systems, and reportedly banned affiliates from using their software in attacks that could lead to death.

The NCA hopes that their operation will disband LockBit permanently, but are willing to accept a temporary victory. They expect that remaining members and affiliates will call their operations off out of concern of being identified by the authorities. So far, two participants have been arrested, and charges have been leveled against two others, reports the Washington Post.

The US film industry is inadvertently supporting an environment conducive for piracy, with several factors at play, Variety reports, citing data from piracy research firm Muso. The most pirated films were last year’s blockbusters, leading with Oppenheimer, with 15.4% of total demand for pirated copies. Also making the cut was Avatar: The Way of Water, with 14.6% pirated copies.

What do these highly pirated titles have in common? Extensive theatrical runs — over 100 days — which appear to have been a key factor to them being pirated, even though this was a deterrent in the past. Another was a delay in official at-home releases.

Exclusivity and availability plays a factor, too. Despite being the highest-grossing film of the year, Barbie was not as widely pirated as Oppenheimer. What they did differently was that Barbie spent less time in the cinemas and debuted on a widely used streaming platform over Christmas and New Year. In comparison, the Christopher Nolan film could be purchased in stores in November and won’t be streamed until later this month, Variety says.

Streaming service dynamics also complicate the issue: Distribution agreements like Universal’s “ 18-month shuffle ” with Netflix, the saturated streaming landscape, and rising subscription costs, may push consumers to opt for pirated versions of the recent blockbusters due to accessibility and affordability concerns, explains Muso.

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