Security News > 2021 > August > CEO tried funding his startup by asking insiders to deploy ransomware
Likely inspired by the LockBit ransomware gang, a Nigerian threat actor tried their luck with a $1 million payment lure to recruit an insider to detonate a ransomware payload on the company servers.
With introductions no longer needed, the threat actor delivered the ransomware payload and the conversation kept flowing over Telegram, providing insight into the motivation and technical abilities of the scammer.
As the chat continued, the actor kept lowering the payout, first to $250,000 and then to $120,000, a clear sign that they were not familiar with how the ransomware game is played.
What drove the threat actor into trying their luck with ransomware was the desire to fund their business, a social network startup called Sociogram where he acted as CEO. They disclosed more personal details by saying they owned the startup and that they were located in Nigeria and even shared their LinkedIn profile.
As per the threat actor, they resorted to ransomware after trying without success to compromise the email accounts through phishing.
At the beginning of the month, BleepingComputer reported that the LockBit ransomware gang announced that they were looking for corporate insiders to help with breaching and encrypting networks.