Two former employees of cybersecurity firms that sold services helping companies combat hackers have been indicted and accused of participating in a conspiracy, outside of their day jobs, to hack multiple US firms and extort them for millions of dollars.
The two men are accused of deploying ransomware used by a prolific cybercriminal gang in attacks in 2023 against a medical device firm in Florida, a pharmaceutical firm in Maryland and a drone maker in Virginia, among other alleged victims.
Kevin Tyler Martin of Roanoke, Texas, and Ryan Clifford Goldberg of Watkinsville, Georgia, face matching federal charges including interfering in interstate commerce through extortion and intentionally damaging a protected computer, according to an indictment filed in the US Southern District of Florida last month.
The men — and an unnamed alleged co-conspirator — are accused of demanding approximately $10 million from the Florida-based medical device maker to unlock the firm’s data, and ultimately received about $1.27 million, according to the indictment.
Source: CNN