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   US cybersecurity professionals plead guilty to Blackcat ransomware attacks   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 31 Dec 2025 11:45:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Ryan Clifford Goldberg and Kevin Tyler Martin could end up in prison for    
   years after extorting one, and trying to extort four more companies.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   The two cybersecurity experts that were accused of affiliating with    
   ransomware operators have pleaded guilty to at least one successful extortion   
   attempt, as well as a few unsuccessful ones.    
      
   In early November this year, news broke of three cybersecurity professionals   
   being suspected of working as affiliates for the dreaded ALPHV (BlackCat)   
   ransomware gang, deploying encryptors against multiple US organizations.    
      
   Back then, a US federal indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida   
   claimed two defendants - Ryan Clifford Goldberg of Georgia, and Kevin Tyler   
   Martin of Texas, together with a third co-conspirator, hacked into company   
   networks, stole data, encrypted it with ALPHV ransomware, and demanded   
   cryptocurrency ransoms.    
      
   The indictment did not describe the two 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 of them are no longer working with these companies.   
      
   Sentencing in March    
      
   Now, it seems the duo admitted hacking a medical device company back in 2023,   
   and later extorting it for $1.2 million.    
      
   They also allegedly admitted to trying to extort a Maryland-based   
   pharmaceutical company, a California doctors office for $5 million, a   
   California engineering firm for $1 million, and a Virginia drone manufacturer   
   for $300,000. These attempts were unsuccessful.    
      
   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, said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen   
   Duva of the DoJs Criminal Division.    
      
   Since all five companies were engaged in interstate commerce, the case falls   
   under federal jurisdiction. The payments were allegedly laundered through   
   multiple cryptocurrency wallets to hide their origins.    
      
   The three are facing serious prison time. They are being charged with   
   conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion, interference   
   with ecommerce by extortion, and intentional damage to a protected computer.   
   The first two carry prison sentences of up to 20 years, while the third one    
   10 years.    
      
   Sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2026.    
      
    Via Cybernews    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/us-cybersecurity-professionals-plead-gu   
   ilty-to-blackcat-ransomware-attacks   
      
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