U.S. says it 'hacked the hackers' to bring down ransomware gang, helping 300 victims

Speaking as one who has spent a significant amount of time in this world (both in government and private sector), one has to appreciate the complexity, hazards, and impact of this mission. This is a big deal to put it plainly. My hope is that the FBI will soon announce the arrest of the individuals responsible because if they are unable to capture these people, these hackers will eventually rebuild their capability and keep going after critical infrastructures like the Colonial Pipeline. I also hope this puts more ransomware wannabes on notice, get them to reconsider their actions and see a significant decline in such incidents. The simple fact of thinking the US Government could be in their shit now, collecting evidence, and preparing to take them down will result in indecision and redirection of focus.

The mission itself would require getting into their operation, identifying the players, collecting vast amounts of evidence (potentially in countries/companies which do not work well with the US in some cases), all while ensuring they don't do more harm in the process. Those that participated in this mission, be it the FBI, DoD, etc did a great job, and I would imagine that some of the victims may even get to recoup some of their losses from the ransomware attacks.

The Hackers got Bushwhacked!

This will not stop them. Hit teams leaving bodies for others to see will prove to the hackers aren't unknown and retribution will be swift and final. That will stop the programmers, except when its sponsored by a state, i.e. Iran, North Korea, Putin or even China.