Two U.S. cybersecurity professionals, Ryan Goldberg and Kevin Martin, admitted to their involvement in BlackCat ransomware attacks that extorted over $1.2 million from various companies in 2023. Despite their expertise in cybersecurity, they used their skills to conduct ransomware attacks, leading to federal charges that could result in lengthy prison sentences.

Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters has initiated a crowdsourced extortion scheme, offering $10 in Bitcoin to individuals who will pressure executives of organizations they claim to have breached into paying ransoms. The group has already reportedly paid out $1,000 and lists 39 alleged victims on its data leak site, threatening further action if demands are not met by a specified deadline. Despite claims of a breach, Salesforce has stated that there is no indication of compromise on its platform.