The scam in the style of the best films of Guy Ritchie ended unsuccessfully for the young specialist.
An interesting situation occurred in 2018 in the British city of Oxford. A group of extortionists made a cyberattack with subsequent data encryption on one of the local companies. The company's management decided to pay a ransom to the attackers, as data loss would have dealt the company a serious blow.
Ashley Lyles, who at that time worked in this company as an IT analyst, was directly involved in ensuring the company's cybersecurity, and set up a communication channel between the company's management and the ransomware. The situation is fairly standard, but Lyles decided to use his working position to intercept the ransom intended for real intruders.
To deceive the company, Lyles posed as one of the members of a cybercrime group and tried to redirect the payment by replacing the hackers ' cryptocurrency wallet with his own, sending it in a fake email to the firm's email address. In addition, having full access to corporate documents, the man used them to blackmail his management in order to speed up the transfer of funds to his account.
However, by his actions, Lais only scared off the management, which was initially inclined to transfer funds. As a result, the company did not comply with the requirements put forward by the attackers, so neither Lyles nor the real hackers got the ransom.
At the same time, the company began conducting an independent internal investigation involving the British police department SEROCU, during which it turned out that Lyles repeatedly gained access to confidential company data, including from his home address.
Although Lyles took the precaution of erasing all data from his personal devices after learning of the progress of the investigation, law enforcement seized his computer and successfully recovered the necessary evidence.
At first Lyles strongly denied any involvement, but during a recent court hearing at Reading Crown Court, he finally confessed. Five years after the incident.
According to UK law, illegal access to a computer can lead to a prison sentence of up to two years, while blackmail is punishable by a maximum term of 14 years.
As a result, 28-year-old Lyles was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison "for blackmail and unauthorized access to a computer with the intent to commit other crimes."
This story highlights the importance of ethics and integrity in the world of cybersecurity. Although Ashley Lyles started his job with the company to ensure its safety, he took advantage of his position for his own benefit. Breaking laws and abusing authority is not only unethical, but can also lead to serious consequences.
An interesting situation occurred in 2018 in the British city of Oxford. A group of extortionists made a cyberattack with subsequent data encryption on one of the local companies. The company's management decided to pay a ransom to the attackers, as data loss would have dealt the company a serious blow.
Ashley Lyles, who at that time worked in this company as an IT analyst, was directly involved in ensuring the company's cybersecurity, and set up a communication channel between the company's management and the ransomware. The situation is fairly standard, but Lyles decided to use his working position to intercept the ransom intended for real intruders.
To deceive the company, Lyles posed as one of the members of a cybercrime group and tried to redirect the payment by replacing the hackers ' cryptocurrency wallet with his own, sending it in a fake email to the firm's email address. In addition, having full access to corporate documents, the man used them to blackmail his management in order to speed up the transfer of funds to his account.
However, by his actions, Lais only scared off the management, which was initially inclined to transfer funds. As a result, the company did not comply with the requirements put forward by the attackers, so neither Lyles nor the real hackers got the ransom.
At the same time, the company began conducting an independent internal investigation involving the British police department SEROCU, during which it turned out that Lyles repeatedly gained access to confidential company data, including from his home address.
Although Lyles took the precaution of erasing all data from his personal devices after learning of the progress of the investigation, law enforcement seized his computer and successfully recovered the necessary evidence.
At first Lyles strongly denied any involvement, but during a recent court hearing at Reading Crown Court, he finally confessed. Five years after the incident.
According to UK law, illegal access to a computer can lead to a prison sentence of up to two years, while blackmail is punishable by a maximum term of 14 years.
As a result, 28-year-old Lyles was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison "for blackmail and unauthorized access to a computer with the intent to commit other crimes."
This story highlights the importance of ethics and integrity in the world of cybersecurity. Although Ashley Lyles started his job with the company to ensure its safety, he took advantage of his position for his own benefit. Breaking laws and abusing authority is not only unethical, but can also lead to serious consequences.
