Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

A former ransomware negotiator was sentenced to nearly six years for secretly helping BlackCat extort victims while betraying his clients. A U.S. court sentenced former ransomware negotiator Angelo Martino, 41, to 70 months in prison for conspiring with the BlackCat ransomware gang. While negotiating on behalf of five victims, he secretly shared confidential information about […]

A former employee of cybersecurity incident response company DigitalMint was sentenced to 70 months in prison for targeting U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks. [...]

A 41-year-old former ransomware negotiator has been sentenced to nearly six years (i.e., 70 months) in prison in the U.S. for their role in conspiring with the now-defunct BlackCat ransomware operators to extort multiple victims and working with two other cybersecurity professionals to target additional victims in 2023

The cybersecurity workers used their knowledge and skills to conduct ransomware attacks for notorious gang, rather than protect victims against them

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday announced the sentencing of two cybersecurity professionals to four years each in prison for their role in facilitating BlackCat ransomware attacks in 2023

Two former employees of cybersecurity incident response companies Sygnia and DigitalMint were sentenced to four years in prison each for targeting U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks. [...]

Also, Europol Cracks DDoS Networks, Mythos Finds Bugs, France Portal HitThis week, scam compounds. Attackers exploit flaws pre-disclosure. A crackdown on DDoS-for-hire. No Mythos for CISA, yes for Mozilla. France ID portal breach. Israeli and Venezuelan critical infrastructure targeted. Russian hacking in Ukraine. An Apache flaw. A ransomware negotiator aided BlackCat.

A former ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to abusing his position by working with noted cybercrime group BlackCat

A cautionary tale illustrates why the person negotiating should never be involved with any part of the ransom payment process.

A third individual who was employed as a ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to conducting ransomware attacks against U.S. companies in 2023

Plus: Court papers reveal nonprofit paid a ransom worth nearly $26.8 million The third of three former ransomware negotiators accused of assisting the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang in extorting US businesses has pleaded guilty, months after his two co-workers did the same.…

41-year-old Angelo Martino, a former employee of cybersecurity incident response company DigitalMint, has pleaded guilty to targeting U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks in 2023. [...]

The U.S. Department of Justice charged another former DigitalMint employee for his involvement in an insider scheme in which ransomware negotiators secretly partnered with the BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware operation. [...]

Cybercrime Gang Allegedly Stole 4.7 Terabytes of Data, Affecting 2.5MNorton Healthcare, which operates nine hospitals and other care facilities in Kentucky and Indiana, has agreed to pay $11 million to settle class action litigation stemming from a 2023 data theft attack by ransomware-as-a-service gang Alphv/BlackCat that affected nearly 2.5 million people.

2023 and 2024 Ransomware Breaches Affected More Than 2.5MMichigan-based McLaren Health Care has agreed to pay $14 million to settle consolidated class action litigation involving two ransomware attacks - allegedly by Alphv/BlackCat in 2023 and by Inc Ransom in 2024 - that affected about 2.5 million patients and employees.

Two US citizens pleaded guilty to working as ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware affiliates in 2023, and both were previously employed by prominent security firms.

Pair became ALPHV affiliates to prey on US-based clients A ransomware negotiator and a security incident response manager have admitted to running ransomware attacks.…

Americans Extorted at Least 5 Firms, Earning $1 Million From a Medical Device MakerTwo American cybersecurity professionals who moonlighted as BlackCat ransomware gang affiliates pleaded guilty to using the crypto-locking malware to extort at least five victims in the United States, including a medical device maker that paid a cryptocurrency ransom worth over $1 million.

Two former employees of cybersecurity incident response companies Sygnia and DigitalMint have pleaded guilty to targeting U.S. companies in BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks in 2023. [...]

A new report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) shows that ransomware activity peaked in 2023 before falling in 2024, following a series of law enforcement actions targeting the ALPHV/BlackCat and LockBit ransomware gangs. [...]