Menu

  • Alerts
  • Incidents
  • News
  • APTs
  • Cyber Decoded
  • Cyber Hygiene
  • Cyber Review
  • Cyber Tips
  • Definitions
  • Malware
  • Threat Actors
  • Tutorials

Useful Tools

  • Password generator
  • Report an incident
  • Report to authorities
No Result
View All Result
CTF Hack Havoc
CyberMaterial
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
Hall of Hacks
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Hall of Hacks
CyberMaterial
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Engineer Arrested for Extorting Servers

August 28, 2024
Reading Time: 2 mins read
in News

A former core infrastructure engineer at an industrial company in New Jersey was arrested for attempting to extort his employer by locking Windows administrators out of 254 servers. On November 25, the company received a ransom email stating that all IT administrators had been locked out of their accounts and backups deleted, making data recovery impossible. The email demanded a ransom of €700,000 (20 Bitcoin) and threatened to shut down 40 servers daily if the payment was not made.

The investigation revealed that 57-year-old Daniel Rhyne had accessed the company’s systems without authorization between November 9 and November 25. Using his administrator account, he changed passwords for multiple accounts, impacting both server and workstation access. Rhyne also scheduled tasks to shut down random servers and workstations, indicating a planned attack on the company’s infrastructure.

Incriminating evidence was uncovered during the investigation, including web searches Rhyne conducted to gather information on deleting accounts and changing passwords using command-line tools. These searches were made using a hidden virtual machine and indicated premeditation in his extortion plot. On November 25, network administrators began receiving notifications of password changes, leading to the discovery that they had been locked out of their accounts.

Rhyne was arrested in Missouri on August 27 and released after his initial court appearance. He faces serious charges, including extortion, intentional computer damage, and wire fraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and a potential $750,000 fine. The case highlights the risks posed by insider threats within organizations and the severe consequences of cyber extortion.

 

Reference:

  • Engineer arrested for locking out admins in failed ransom plot
Tags: August 2024Cyber NewsCyber News 2024Cyber threatsCybersecurityNew JerseyUnited States
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Microsoft Pakistan Operations Shut Down

Samsung boosts One UI 8 security

July 9, 2025
Microsoft Pakistan Operations Shut Down

US Gov Cracks Down Aeza Group

July 9, 2025
Microsoft Pakistan Operations Shut Down

Microsoft Pakistan Operations Shut Down

July 9, 2025
AT&T Agrees to $177M Breach Settlement

AT&T Agrees to $177M Breach Settlement

July 8, 2025
AT&T Agrees to $177M Breach Settlement

Alleged Hafnium Hacker Arrested in Italy

July 8, 2025
AT&T Agrees to $177M Breach Settlement

Parrot OS 6.4 Adds New Hacking Tools

July 8, 2025

Latest Alerts

Windows BitLocker Vulnerability Flaw

Anatsa Android Trojan Targets 90K Users

Hackers Use Leaked Shellter License Malware

New Ransomware BERT Targets ESXi Systems

NordDragonScan Malware Steals Windows Data

AMOS Mac Stealer Adds Persistent Backdoor

Subscribe to our newsletter

    Latest Incidents

    Credit Reports Breached And Sold On Dark Web

    Recruiting Software Exposed 26M Resumes

    Norwegian Municipalities Hit by Data Breach

    French Chip Firm Semco Hacked During IPO

    Louis Vuitton Korea Hit By Cyberattack

    Virginia School District Hit By Cyberattack

    CyberMaterial Logo
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Legal and Privacy Policy
    • Site Map

    © 2025 | CyberMaterial | All rights reserved

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In

    Add New Playlist

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Definitions
    • Malware
    • Cyber Tips
    • Tutorials
    • Advanced Persistent Threats
    • Threat Actors
    • Report an incident
    • Password Generator
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us

    Copyright © 2025 CyberMaterial