- Two former cybersecurity professionals pleaded guilty to ALPHV ransomware extortion attempts
- They extorted $1.2 million from a medical device company; other attempts failed
- Face federal charges carrying sentences of up to 20 years in prison; sentencing set for March 12, 2026
The two cybersecurity experts accused of being affiliated with ransomware operators pleaded guilty to at least one successful extortion attempt, as well as a few unsuccessful attempts.
In early November this year, news broke that three cybersecurity professionals were suspected of working as affiliates of the feared ALPHV (BlackCat) ransomware gang, deploying encryptors against several US organizations.
At the time, a US federal indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida claimed that two defendants – Ryan Clifford Goldberg of Georgia and Kevin Tyler Martin of Texas, along with a third co-conspirator, hacked into the company’s networks, stole data, encrypted it with ALPHV ransomware and demanded ransoms in cryptocurrency.
The indictment did not describe them as cybersecurity professionals. However, local media said Martin worked at DigitalMint as a ransomware threat negotiator, while Goldberg was a former Sygnia incident response manager.
Both no longer work with these companies.
Sentencing in March
It now appears the duo have admitted to hacking a medical device company in 2023 and then extorting $1.2 million from it.
They also allegedly admitted to trying to extort $5 million from a Maryland-based pharmaceutical company, a California medical practice, $1 million from a California engineering company and $300,000 from a Virginia drone manufacturer. These attempts failed.
“These defendants used their sophisticated cybersecurity training and experience to commit ransomware attacks – the very type of crime they should have been working to stop,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Because all five companies were engaged in interstate commerce, the matter falls under federal jurisdiction. The payments were allegedly laundered through multiple cryptocurrency wallets to hide their origin.
The three men risk heavy prison sentences. They are charged with “conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion,” “interference with electronic commerce by extortion” and “intentional damage to a protected computer.” The first two carry prison sentences of up to 20 years, while the third carries up to 10 years.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2026.
Via Cybernews
The best antivirus for every budget
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
