A Canadian man was sentenced to 33 years in prison after pleading guilty to targeting more than 145 children across the United States, some as young as 6 years old, in an eight-year-long sextortion scheme. […]
Tag: guilty
Global Security News
Former US execs plead guilty to aiding tech support scammers
Two former executives of a call-tracking and analytics company pleaded guilty to concealing a years-long tech support fraud scheme that victimized individuals worldwide. […]
Global Security News, Government & Policy
Former govt contractor convicted for wiping dozens of federal databases
A 34-year-old Virginia man was found guilty of conspiring to destroy dozens of government databases after getting fired from his job as a federal contractor. […]
AI, Europe, Exploits, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Network Security, Russia
U.S. court sentences Karakurt ransomware negotiator to 8.5 years
Deniss Zolotarjovs was sentenced to 8.5 years in the U.S. after pleading guilty to money laundering and fraud tied to ransomware. Deniss Zolotarjovs, a Latvian national linked to the Karakurt ransomware gang, has been sentenced to 8.5 years in U.S. prison, marking a significant step in efforts to combat global ransomware operations. “A Latvian national…
Global Security News
Former Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty to Working For BlackCat Cyber Gang
A former ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to abusing his position by working with noted cybercrime group BlackCat
AI, Data Breaches, Exploits, Global Security News
Former DigitalMint ransomware negotiator pleads guilty to extortion scheme
A South Florida man pleaded guilty to conspiring with multiple ransomware affiliates to commit attacks against and extort payments from the same U.S. companies he represented as a ransomware negotiator for DigitalMint in 2023, the Justice Department said Monday. Angelo John Martino III shared confidential information about victim organizations’ internal negotiating positions and insurance policy…
AI, Cybersecurity, Global Security News
Ransomware negotiator caught secretly assisting BlackCat extortion scheme
Angelo Martino pleaded guilty to helping BlackCat ransomware group while acting as a ransomware negotiator. Another U.S. cybersecurity expert, Angelo Martino, admitted helping the BlackCat ransomware group while working as a ransomware negotiator. Angelo Martino (41) admitted helping the BlackCat ransomware group while working for a U.S. incident response firm. “A Florida man, formerly employed…
AI, Cybersecurity, Global Security News
Ransomware negotiator admits role in attacks he was hired to resolve
A Florida man, formerly employed as a ransomware negotiator, pleaded guilty to conspiring to carry out ransomware attacks against US companies. Prosecutors say Angelo Martino, 41, used his position at DigitalMint, a crypto broker that helps victims negotiate and pay ransomware demands, to pass sensitive information to attackers. Alongside Martino, two more individuals were involved…
AI, Global Security News
Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty to Aiding BlackCat Attacks in 2023
A third individual who was employed as a ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to conducting ransomware attacks against U.S. companies in 2023. Angelo Martino, 41, of Land O’Lakes, Florida, teamed up with the operators of the BlackCat ransomware starting in April 2023 to assist the e-crime gang in extracting higher amounts as ransoms. “Working as…
AI, Global Security News
Scattered Spider hacker pleads guilty to stealing $8 million in cryptocurrency
A British national tied to the Scattered Spider cybercrime group pleaded guilty to hacking multiple companies via SMS phishing and stealing over $8 million in virtual currency from US victims. Tyler Robert Buchanan, 24, of Dundee, Scotland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. In November 2024, US authorities unsealed…
AI, Data Breaches, Global Security News, malware, Network Security
Scattered Spider member Tyler Buchanan pleads guilty to major crypto theft
Tyler Buchanan, linked to Scattered Spider, pleaded guilty in the US to hacking companies and stealing millions in cryptocurrency. Tyler Buchanan, a 24-year-old from Scotland linked to the Scattered Spider group, admitted in a US court that he hacked dozens of companies, committed fraud, and stole millions in cryptocurrency. Spanish police arrested the British national…
Global Security News
British Scattered Spider hacker pleads guilty to crypto theft charges
A British man, believed to be the leader of the Scattered Spider cybercrime collective, has pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. […]
AI, Cybersecurity, Global Security News, Network Security, Risk Management
A core infrastructure engineer pleads guilty to federal charges in insider attack
When Daniel Rhyne pleaded guilty on April 1 to having launched an insider extortion attack against his then-employer, authorities enumerated the techniques he used, including unauthorized remote desktop sessions, deletion of network administrator accounts, changing of passwords, and scheduling unauthorized tasks on the domain controller. After he shut down key systems and accounts, he sent…
AI, Cybersecurity, Global Security News, Network Security, Risk Management
A core infrastructure engineer pleads guilty to federal charges in insider attack
When Daniel Rhyne pleaded guilty on April 1 to having launched an insider extortion attack against his then-employer, authorities enumerated the techniques he used, including unauthorized remote desktop sessions, deletion of network administrator accounts, changing of passwords, and scheduling unauthorized tasks on the domain controller. After he shut down key systems and accounts, he sent…
AI, Global Security News
Man admits to locking thousands of Windows devices in extortion plot
A former core infrastructure engineer has pleaded guilty to locking Windows admins out of 254 servers as part of a failed extortion plot targeting his employer, an industrial company headquartered in Somerset County, New Jersey. […]
AI, Global Security News
How one man used 10,000 bots to steal $8,000,000 from music artists
A man has pleaded guilty to defrauding online music streaming platforms out of more than US $8 million, after creating hundreds of thousands of songs with AI, and then using bots to play them billions of times. Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
Global Security News, Russia
Yanluowang ransomware access broker gets 81 months in prison
A Russian national was sentenced to nearly 7 years in prison after pleading guilty to acting as an initial access broker (IAB) for Yanluowang ransomware attacks. […]
AI, Exploits, Global Security News
Fake AI songs streamed billions of times, netting fraudster $10 million
Michael Smith, 54, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has pleaded guilty in federal court to running a scheme that exploited music streaming platforms and diverted royalty payments from artists. He admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and agreed to forfeit $8,091,843.64. According…
Global Security News
Musician admits to $10M streaming royalty fraud using AI bots
North Carolina musician Michael Smith has pleaded guilty to collecting over $10 million in royalty payments through a massive streaming royalty fraud scheme on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. […]
Global Security News
Ex-data analyst stole company data in $2.5M extortion scheme
A North Carolina man was found guilty of extorting a D.C.-based technology company while still being employed as a data analyst contractor. […]
AI, Data Breaches, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Network Security, Risk Management
North Carolina tech worker found guilty of insider attack netting $2.5M ransom
A 27-year-old North Carolina man was found guilty of six counts of extortion for a series of crimes he committed while working as a data analyst contractor for a D.C.-based international technology company, the Justice Department said Thursday. Cameron Nicholas Curry, also known as “Loot,” stole a trove of corporate data, including sensitive employee and…
AI, Global Security News
Ghanain man pleads guilty to role in $100 million fraud ring
A Ghanaian national pleaded guilty to his role in a massive fraud ring that stole over $100 million from victims across the United States through business email compromise attacks and romance scams. […]
AI, Data Breaches, Global Security News, malware, Network Security, Russia
Phobos Ransomware admin faces up to 20 years after guilty plea
Russian national Evgenii Ptitsyn (43) pleaded guilty in the U.S. for his role in the Phobos ransomware operation. Russian national Evgenii Ptitsyn pleaded guilty in the US to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in the Phobos ransomware scheme. The man was arrested in South Korea in 2024 and extradited to the United States. He…
AI, Global Security News, Network Security, Russia
Phobos ransomware leader pleads guilty, faces up to 20 years in prison
Russian national Evgenii Ptitsyn pleaded guilty to running the Phobos ransomware outfit that extorted more than $39 million from more than 1,000 victims globally, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Ptitsyn assumed a leadership role in the Phobos ransomware group in January 2022, yet his criminal activities began by April 2019, according to court records. He…
Data Breaches, Global Security News, Russia
Phobos ransomware admin pleads guilty to wire fraud conspiracy
A Russian national pleaded guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge related to his role in administering the Phobos ransomware operation, which breached hundreds of victims worldwide. […]
AI, Apps, Cybersecurity, Data Breaches, Endpoint, Exploits, Global Security News, Network Security, privacy, Risk Management
Alabama Sextortion Case Involved Hundreds of Victims
A 22-year-old Alabama man has pleaded guilty to federal charges after hijacking the social media accounts of hundreds of young women and extorting them with stolen intimate images. Between 2022 and 2025, Jamarcus Mosley used impersonation tactics to seize control of victims’ Snapchat and Instagram accounts, then threatened to publish private photos unless they complied…
Global Security News
Alabama man pleads guilty to hacking, extorting hundreds of women
A 22-year-old Alabama man pleaded guilty to extortion, cyberstalking, and computer fraud charges after hijacking the social media accounts of hundreds of young women (including minors). […]
AI, Global Security News
Ukrainian man pleads guilty to running AI-powered fake ID site
A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to operating OnlyFake, an AI-powered website that generated and sold more than 10,000 photos of fake identification documents to customers worldwide. […]
AI, Global Security News, Government & Policy, Network Security
Romanian hacker pleads guilty to selling access to Oregon state networks
A Romanian man pleaded guilty to selling admin access to Oregon’s state network for $3,000 in Bitcoin and repeatedly accessing it to prove control. Catalin Dragomir (45) from Romania, pleaded guilty in the U.S. for selling unauthorized admin access to an Oregon state emergency management network. He gained access in June 2021, advertised it, and…
Global Security News, Security
Man pleads guilty to hacking nearly 600 women’s Snapchat accounts
An Illinois man pleaded guilty to hacking nearly 600 women’s Snapchat accounts to steal nude photos that he kept, sold, or traded online, including accounts he compromised at the request of a former university track coach who was later convicted of sextortion. […]