CriticalRansomware
FBI Arrests Executive at Ransomware Negotiation Firm
Krebs on Security·Source published ·1 min read
What happened?
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday arrested an executive at a Canadian cybersecurity firm in connection with an investigation into the ShinyHunters hacking group that recently relieved the FBI of sensitive data on thousands of agents, multiple sources tell KrebsOnSecurity. The New York Times reported today that the FBI has arrested a Canadian man in Pennsylvania on suspicion of assisting ShinyHunters. The Times story did not identify the man, nor did a statement on Twitter/X about the arrest from FBI Director Kash Patel.
Key details
- Arrest occurred while the executive attended a cyber insurance conference in Philadelphia.
- ShinyHunters hacking group has extorted over $70 million from victims this year according to the FBI.
- Dutch police arrested Pepijn van der Stap last month in connection with the ShinyHunters investigation.
- Another ShinyHunters member named Rey was detained and is cooperating with FBI investigators.
- FBI investigation into ShinyHunters has been centralized at a field office in Texas.
Affected
- Cypfer, a Canadian security company and major sponsor of the Cyber Risk Summit.
- CyberSteward, another Canadian security firm associated with the arrested executive.
What to look for
- ShinyHunters uses phishing and stolen credentials to steal data from SaaS companies.
- ShinyHunters threatens to publish stolen data unless ransom is paid.
- ShinyHunters stole sensitive FBI agent data from the agency's online recruitment portal.
Summarised by SecOraLens from Krebs on Security. Always read the original source before acting. How SecOraLens verifies advisories.