Feds suspect ransom negotiator ran ShinyHunters extortion site

U.S. federal investigators suspect that two ransomware negotiation firms maintained close ties with the ShinyHunters hacking group, which has stolen sensitive data from the FBI. One U.S.-based executive even allegedly helped ShinyHunters operate a website that pressured victims to pay ransoms. ShinyHunters, primarily operated by cybercriminals in France, has extorted over $70 million this year.

The FBI discovered that one of ShinyHunters' websites, shinywire.com, was run by a U.S. consulting firm, though the company has not been charged yet. ShinyHunters' hacker, Rey, was detained by Jordanian authorities, while another suspected member, Peppijn van der Stap, was apprehended in the Netherlands. Authorities found that Van der Stap was in contact with ransomware negotiators and a Canadian cybersecurity executive, Edward Dubrovsky, who was also arrested.

Dubrovsky allegedly knew about the FBI's data breach before ShinyHunters threatened to publish the stolen personnel files.