Ethical Hacking News
Two former cybersecurity employees have pleaded guilty to carrying out a series of sophisticated ransomware attacks that targeted several high-profile companies in the US. They face up to 20 years in prison for their crimes, which involved using ALPHV / BlackCat ransomware to extort millions of dollars in Bitcoin from victims.
Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin have pleaded guilty to carrying out sophisticated ransomware attacks targeting US companies. The duo used ALPHV / BlackCat ransomware, designed to extort millions of dollars in Bitcoin from victims. They face up to 20 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to obstruct commerce by extortion. The Department of Justice is taking a strong stance against cybercrime, using all available tools to identify and arrest perpetrators. The use of ransomware has become increasingly common, with many high-profile attacks linked to ALPHV / BlackCat.
Two cybersecurity employees, Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin, have pleaded guilty to carrying out a series of sophisticated ransomware attacks that targeted several high-profile companies in the United States. The Department of Justice announced the guilty pleas on Tuesday, revealing a complex web of cybercrime and deception that had been unfolding for months.
According to the indictment filed by the DOJ, Goldberg and Martin, along with an unnamed co-conspirator, used ALPHV / BlackCat ransomware to encrypt and steal data from their victims. The malware was designed to extort millions of dollars in Bitcoin from unsuspecting companies, including a pharmaceutical company, a doctor's office, an engineering company, and a drone manufacturer.
The indictment claims that Goldberg, Martin, and the co-conspirator used their sophisticated cybersecurity training and experience to commit these crimes. Despite their expertise, however, they are now facing serious consequences for their actions. The two men pleaded guilty to one count of "conspiracy to obstruct, delay, or affect commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce by extortion."
The Department of Justice is taking a strong stance against cybercrime, and this latest indictment is just one example of their efforts to crack down on these types of attacks. As Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva stated in a statement, "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." The DOJ is committed to using all available tools to identify and arrest perpetrators of ransomware attacks wherever they have jurisdiction.
Goldberg and Martin's sentencing is scheduled for March 12th, 2026, where they will face up to 20 years in prison. This significant sentence serves as a warning to other would-be cybercriminals, making it clear that the DOJ will not tolerate this type of activity.
The use of ransomware has become increasingly common in recent years, with many high-profile attacks being linked to ALPHV / BlackCat. The FBI developed a decryption tool designed to recover data from victims of ALPHV / BlackCat, which has been used in several high-profile attacks on companies like Bandai Namco, MGM Resorts, Reddit, and UnitedHealth Group.
The indictment also reveals that Goldberg and Martin worked as ransomware negotiators at Digital Mint, a cybercrime and incident response company, while Goldberg was an incident response manager at Sygnia Cybersecurity Services. This highlights the complex nature of cybercrime, where individuals with expertise in cybersecurity are used to commit these crimes.
In conclusion, the guilty pleas of Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin serve as a reminder that cybercrime will not be tolerated. The Department of Justice is taking a strong stance against these types of attacks, and this latest indictment is just one example of their efforts to crack down on ransomware attacks.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Ransomware-Attacks-A-Complex-Web-of-Cybercrime-and-Deception-ehn.shtml
Published: Tue Dec 30 12:41:06 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
