Cybersecurity Pros Turn Cybercriminals: The Ironic Ransomware Racket Unveiled
In a twist worthy of a cybercrime sitcom, a ransomware negotiator and an incident response manager have confessed to launching their own ransomware attacks. These cybersecurity “pros” used their skills to deploy ransomware, extorting five victims, including a medical device company that paid $1.2 million in bitcoin.
Hot Take:
So, it turns out that the cybersecurity world isn’t all white hats and code-breaking heroes. Sometimes, the line between helping and hacking is as thin as a cat meme on a Reddit thread. Goldberg and Martin clearly took the “fight fire with fire” approach a bit too literally, swapping their capes for ski masks. Who knew ransomware negotiations could turn into a full-fledged career, complete with a side of criminal conspiracy?
Key Points:
- Goldberg and Martin, cybersecurity pros, pleaded guilty to running ransomware attacks.
- The duo collaborated with ALPHV BlackCat ransomware, taking a 20% cut of ransoms.
- They targeted five companies, but only the medical device company paid a $1.2 million ransom.
- Sentencing is in March, with potential 20-year prison terms for each perpetrator.
- ALPHV, notorious for past cyberattacks, might still be lurking in the digital shadows.
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