Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin, working as cybersecurity professionals, received 4-year prison sentences for conducting BlackCat/Alphv ransomware attacks against companies.
Two cybersecurity experts from the United States have been sentenced to prison over charges related to their role in ransomware attacks. Ryan Goldberg of Georgia and Kevin Martin of Texas were each given a 4-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to obstruct or affect interstate commerce by extortion. A third US-based cybersecurity professional, Angelo Martino from Florida, also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing scheduled for July 9.
The three men were working at cybersecurity firms, two of them as ransomware negotiators, when they decided to conduct ransomware attacks against several companies. They used the BlackCat and Alphv ransomware strains to target victims, paying 20% of the ransom to the cybercrime operation’s administrators. Authorities said the hackers turned from white-hat to black-hat received roughly $1.2 million from one victim and laundered their 80% cut through various methods.
More than 1,000 organizations were targeted in BlackCat ransomware attacks between November 2021 and December 2023, when the operation was disrupted by authorities. A few months later, the cybercriminals received a $22 million ransom from a victim and pulled an exit scam. The US has been offering a $10 million reward for information on key members of the ransomware group.
The case serves as a stark warning about the consequences of security professionals crossing ethical and legal boundaries to participate in criminal ransomware operations.
Source: SecurityWeek — Two US Security Experts Sentenced to Prison for Helping Ransomware Gan
