GoKawiilMonsterCloud CEO Zohar Pinhasi charged with secretly paying ransomware attackers
Zohar Pinhasi, owner of Florida-based ransomware recovery firm MonsterCloud, was indicted on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly paying cybercriminals for decryption keys while claiming to use proprietary technology. He surrendered to authorities, pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $2 million bond. Prosecutors assert that MonsterCloud's claims of decrypting data without paying ransom were false, and that the company often paid attackers directly to restore clients' files.