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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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