Maybe it's buried in the details and I missed it, but this is not the first time the FBI cracked a ransomware operation, but the real story is they got the keys

Maybe it's buried in the details and I missed it, but this is not the first time the FBI cracked a ransomware operation, but the real story is they got the keys and in the past they've just published them. ("FBI urges ransomware victims to reach out"). This is how you do law enforcement. Win hearts and minds with practical redress. Otherwise you're just cutting heads of a hydra - which is what silly plans for social media client-side scanning will only ever be able to do. So the last time, I ended up researching it for a Cybershow episode (sorry dang :) and got down dark rabbit holes like these ones [0,1] and realised just how hard this is. It's not just infiltration, it's very stealthy, careful, long-term work. Getting right into the heart of the beast and getting all the stuff, off an airgapped machine! Imagine discovering a severe exploit with massive lateral impact and needing to do a delicate, intricate coordinated disclosure so that nobody gets tipped-off... and then cutting it at the root and bagging all the loot, That's gotta feel good. [0] https://www.wired.com/story/764-com-child-predator-network/ https://www.wired.com/story/764-com-child-predator-network/ [1] https://www.wired.com/story/tracers-in-the-dark-welcome-to-video-crypto-anonymity-myth/ https://www.wired.com/story/tracers-in-the-dark-welcome-to-v...