Canadian cyber-security executive arrested on federal extortion charges in Pennsylvania
Edward Dubrovsky, a Canadian specialist in ransomware negotiations, was detained in the Philadelphia area on charges of conspiracy to extort and interfere with commerce, as the FBI continues its probe of the ShinyHunters hacking group.
A Canadian cybersecurity executive who negotiates with ransomware attackers was arrested Thursday in the Philadelphia area on federal charges. Edward Dubrovsky, 54, faces allegations of conspiracy to threaten the confidentiality of information to extort money and interference with commerce, according to documents filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The case is sealed, and details of the alleged conduct have not been released.
The arrest occurs amid an FBI investigation of the ShinyHunters hacking group, which recently claimed to have stolen data on nearly every FBI employee and was linked to a breach of the FBIjobs.gov website. FBI Director Kash Patel said agents had arrested another suspected co-conspirator of the group, but did not name the individual, and officials have not confirmed whether Dubrovsky is that suspect.
A court order ordered Dubrovsky’s detention pending a hearing in the Eastern District of Texas, and a subsequent order directed the U.S. Marshals Service to transport him to Texas for further proceedings. He is listed as being held at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, with no release date set.
Dubrovsky’s LinkedIn profile describes his work negotiating ransom demands with cybercriminals and lists an affiliation with CyberSteward, a firm that offers services related to negotiations with threat actors, cyber extortion and settlement facilitation.