US Cyber Pros Plead Guilty Over BlackCat Ransomware Activity

Two US-based cybersecurity professionals pleaded guilty to their involvement in ransomware activity tied to the ALPHV/BlackCat gang.

On 29 December 2023 a federal district court in Florida accepted the pleas of Ryan Goldberg, 40, of Georgia, and Kevin Martin, 36, of Texas, who, along with an unnamed coconspirator, “successfully deployed the ransomware known as ALPHV/BlackCat between April 2023 and December 2023 against multiple victims located throughout the United States,” according to a Department of Justice press release.

The DoJ states that the three men, all previously employed in the cybersecurity industry, extorted about $1.2 million in Bitcoin and split the ransom 80/20 among themselves, laundering the funds through various means. The three joined ALPHV/BlackCat as affiliates, receiving an 80% share of ransoms in exchange for using the gang’s ransomware and infrastructure.

The DoJ remarks emphasise that the defendants’ former employers, DigitalMint and Sygnia, were not involved in the wrongdoing, with DigitalMint’s spokesperson noting the misconduct was outside the scope of the company.