Today’s briefing covers 1 security issue reported in the last 24 hours, grouped by type: 1 arrests and takedowns. Each entry says who is affected and what to do, with links to the original reports.
Arrests and takedowns
Ransomware negotiator Edward Dubrovsky charged with cyber extortion; tied to ShinyHunters FBI hack
Who is affected: A 54-year-old Canadian ransomware negotiator, Edward Dubrovsky, was arrested in Pennsylvania; federal authorities also reference a recent FBI jobs site incident described as affecting data on thousands of FBI employees, though the public filings do not name ShinyHunters or the FBI.
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Texas have charged Dubrovsky with conspiracy to threaten to impair the confidentiality of information with intent to extort, along with Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion. He was arrested in Pennsylvania on a Thursday and ordered transferred to Texas for a detention hearing. Multiple outlets report the case is linked to the ShinyHunters defacement of the FBI jobs site, where the group demanded retraction of a May warning and exposed data on thousands of FBI employees; the FBI Director has only publicly confirmed an arrest tied to ShinyHunters. Dubrovsky is a long-time ransomware negotiator who advised companies on handling data-theft extortion demands.
What to do: Any organisation that used Edward Dubrovsky or his firm for ransomware negotiation should review prior engagements, audit records shared with him, and consult counsel on potential exposure.
Sources: gizmodo.com