Two Cybersecurity Professionals Admit to Being BlackCat Ransomware Affiliates www.databreachtoday.com/2-cyber-p…
Two cybersecurity professionals who moonlighted as affiliates of the BlackCat ransomware operation have pleaded guilty to using crypto-locking malware to extort victims in the United States.
Prosecutors said all three individuals involved were employed at cybersecurity services firms while conducting attacks on behalf of BlackCat. Martin and an unnamed co-conspirator worked as ransomware negotiators at DigitalMint, while Goldberg was employed as an incident response manager at Sygnia.
“These defendants used their sophisticated cybersecurity training and experience to commit ransomware attacks—the very type of crime that they should have been working to stop,” said A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General and head of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.
The maximum sentence that may be imposed includes up to 20 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to US$250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offence. The defendants also agreed to forfeit property tied to the proceeds of the crime and to each pay a forfeiture monetary judgment of US$324,123.26.
