Russian hackers cop to Heartland breach and two men are arrested in connection with a major ransomware scheme — but meanwhile, the hacking beat goes on.
It was a rare good week for law enforcement in the ongoing battle against cybercrime as officials broke open two high-profile cases: first, two Russian nationals pleaded guilty to their role in the historic data breach in 2008 of Heartland Payment Systems and other companies, and then a pair of Dutch nationals were arrested for their alleged role in a massive ransomware attack campaign.
High-profile prosecutions and arrests of cybercriminals remain few and far between compared with the volume of cybercrime activity worldwide today. While the cases send much-needed signals to the bad guys that cybercrime doesn’t always pay, security and law enforcement experts acknowledge that despite the wins, cybercrime remains very much alive and well.
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