Law enforcement officials are investigating a former employee of a company that negotiates with hackers and facilitates cryptocurrency payments during ransomware attacks, according to a statement from the firm, DigitalMint.
DigitalMint President Marc Jason Grens this week told organizations it works with that the US Justice Department is examining allegations that the then-employee struck deals with hackers to profit from extortion payments, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Grens did not identify the employee by name and characterized their actions as isolated, said the person, who spoke on condition that they not be identified describing private conversations.
DigitalMint is cooperating with a criminal investigation into “alleged unauthorized conduct by the employee while employed here,” Grens said in an email to Bloomberg News. The Chicago-based company is not the target of the investigation and the employee “was immediately terminated,” Grens said, adding that he can’t provide more information because the probe is ongoing.
“As soon as we were able, we began communicating the facts to affected stakeholders,” said Grens. “This level of transparency is a key part of the culture that has driven DigitalMint’s success.” Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Solomon said the company “acted swiftly to protect our clients.”
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment sent Tuesday. Many investigations end without any formal accusations of wrongdoing.
The investigation, which hasn’t been previously reported, entails law enforcement delving into the cottage industry that has sprung up to help companies negotiate and pay cybercriminals as ransomware attacks have surged.
