US DoJ Probes Ex-Ransomware Negotiator Over Alleged Extortion Kickbacks
Oftentimes, when these notorious gangs strike, they threaten to release private information, make users' data inaccessible, or even lock down entire computer systems until a huge ransom or extortion payment is made. To deal with this, negotiators are called upon to handle discussions with the hackers on behalf of the victims. This is where DigitalMint claims to specialize: managing ransomware incidents and facilitating secure payments to help victims gain control and protect their data. This makes the accusations that one of its employees exploited the vulnerable situation of victims for illicit gain especially disturbing.
Following this revelation, DigitalMint President Marc Jason Grens quickly moved to distance the company from the alleged actions of the former employee. He explained that the former employee's actions do not represent those of the company. He also clarified that the company was not under scrutiny in this investigation and that the ex-employee in question had already been fired.
Despite this, the incident could spur serious discussions on how these data recovery and financial cybersecurity firms operate, especially in light of previous reports. For instance, a report in 2019 revealed that two US firms were deceiving clients by claiming to use specialized methods to recover data. In contrast, they were simply paying the ransom demand and charging their client an additional fee.
There's little question this allegation against the former employee will likely erode client trust in the company. As reported by Bloomberg, some law and insurance firms have already cautioned their clients against dealing with DigitalMint because of the allegation.
Hopefully, this investigation will lead to greater scrutiny of how these firms operate to prevent instances of double exploitation of victims from ransomware gangs and the firms victims hire to recover invaluable data.
