Fake Investor John Bernard Sinks Norwegian Green Shipping Dreams
Several articles here have delved into the history of John Bernard, the pseudonym used by a fake billionaire technology investor who tricked dozens of startups into giving him tens of…
Who Wrote the ALPHV/BlackCat Ransomware Strain?
In December 2021, researchers discovered a new ransomware-as-a-service named ALPHV (a.k.a. “BlackCat“), considered to be the first professional cybercrime group to create and use a ransomware strain written in the…
Crime Shop Sells Hacked Logins to Other Crime Shops
Up for the “Most Meta Cybercrime Offering” award this year is Accountz Club, a new cybercrime store that sells access to purloined accounts at services built for cybercriminals, including shops…
At Request of U.S., Russia Rounds Up 14 REvil Ransomware Affiliates
The Russian government said today it arrested 14 people accused of working for “REvil,” a particularly aggressive ransomware group that has extorted hundreds of millions of dollars from victim organizations.…
Who is the Network Access Broker ‘Wazawaka?’
In a great many ransomware attacks, the criminals who pillage the victim’s network are not the same crooks who gained the initial access to the victim organization. More commonly, the…
NY Man Pleads Guilty in $20 Million SIM Swap Theft
A 24-year-old New York man who bragged about helping to steal more than $20 million worth of cryptocurrency from a technology executive has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire…
Hoax Email Blast Abused Poor Coding in FBI Website
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed today that its fbi.gov domain name and Internet address were used to blast out thousands of fake emails about a cybercrime investigation. According…
REvil Ransom Arrest, $6M Seizure, and $10M Reward
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the arrest of Ukrainian man accused of deploying ransomware on behalf of the REvil ransomware gang, a Russian-speaking cybercriminal collective that has extorted…
The ‘Groove’ Ransomware Gang Was a Hoax
A number of publications in September warned about the emergence of “Groove,” a new ransomware group that called on competing extortion gangs to unite in attacking U.S. government interests online.…
Trial Ends in Guilty Verdict for DDoS-for-Hire Boss
A jury in California today reached a guilty verdict in the trial of Matthew Gatrel, a St. Charles, Ill. man charged in 2018 with operating two online services that allowed…