Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

Florida cyber owner accused of misleading ransomware victims; firm charged $19M, secretly paid hackers $8M

A Florida cybersecurity company owner who allegedly told ransomware victims that his firm could recover encrypted data without paying hackers is now facing federal wire fraud charges. According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Zohar Pinhasi, 50, owner of ransomware remediation company MonsterCloud, claimed to have proprietary tools and advanced techniques for decrypting files. Prosecutors allege that his company instead paid the cybercriminals behind the attacks and charged clients substantially more for the recovery. The DOJ said Pinhasi allegedly collected more than $19 million from clients while secretly paying over $8 million in ransom.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.