RANSOMWARE GROUP APOLOGIZES, OFFERS FREE DECRYPTOR

   TORONTO — A global ransomware operator issued an apology and offered to unlock the data targeted in a ransomware attack on Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, a move cybersecurity experts say is rare, if not unprecedented, for the infamous group.
   LockBit, a ransomware group the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has called one of the world’s most active and destructive, issued the brief apology on Dec. 31 to what cybersecurity experts say is the dark web page where it posts about its ransoms and data leaks.
   In the statement, reviewed directly by The Canadian Press, LockBit claimed to have blocked the “partner” responsible for the attack and offered SickKids a free decryptor to unlock its data.