A former cybersecurity expert has admitted to aiding cybercriminals in their ransomware attacks. Angelo Martino, who used to work for DigitalMint, is now facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to extortion.

Martino was caught feeding victims' confidential information to the ALPHV/BlackCat gang, which operates as a ransomware-as-a-service. His actions allowed the criminals to negotiate higher payouts at the expense of innocent companies and their insurers.

This case is part of a growing trend where those meant to protect us are turning against us. In 2023, another DigitalMint employee and a former Sygnia incident response manager were also caught working with the same ransomware gang.

The U.S. Justice Department has already seized $10 million in assets from Martino and is pursuing charges of conspiracy to commit computer hacking and wire fraud against him. Meanwhile, law enforcement disrupted ALPHV/BlackCat’s operations by seizing their dark web leak site and releasing a decryption tool for victims.