Ransomware negotiator, pay thyself!

A ransomware negotiator and an incident response manager at two separate cybersecurity firms have been indicted for allegedly carrying out ransomware attacks of their own against multiple US companies.

Ryan Clifford Goldberg of Watkinsville, Georgia, Kevin Tyler Martin of Roanoke, Texas, and a third unnamed co-conspirator who lives in Land O’Lakes, Florida, allegedly broke into corporate networks, stole sensitive data, deployed ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware, and demanded tens of millions of dollars in extortion payments, according to an October 2 indictment.

The three suspects used ALPHV/BlackCat malware to encrypt the Florida medical device firm’s servers and demanded a $10 million ransom payment, according to the court documents. “The attack caused Victim Company 1 to fear financial loss from the theft and encryption of their data. Victim Company 1 paid RYAN CLIFFORD GOLDBERG, KEVIN TYLER MARTIN, and Co-Conspirator 1 a ransom in virtual currency worth approximately $1,274,000 at the time of payment,” the indictment states.

To read the complete article, see: The Register.