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Rogue IT security worker failed to cover his tracks

Oxford BioMedica, a gene and cell therapy firm, suffered a cyber attack in February 2018 and received a ransom demand from a hacker. The company informed the police and assigned its own IT security staff to investigate the attack, but one of its employees, IT security analyst Ashley Liles, audaciously tried to steal the ransom for himself. Liles accessed the email account of a company board member who had received the initial ransom demand and changed the email contents to reference a Bitcoin wallet controlled by himself. He also created an email address almost identical to that used by the original attacker and sent a series of emails to his employer posing as the attacker, pressuring them to pay the ransom. However, Oxford BioMedica had no intention of paying the ransom and assisted the police with their investigation, unaware that one of their own employees was attempting to defraud the company. Liles was discovered by South East Regional Organised Crime Unit’s Cyber Crime Unit, was found guilty, and will be sentenced on 11 July.

Key Points:

– Oxford BioMedica suffered a cyber attack in February 2018 and received a ransom demand from a hacker.
– IT security analyst Ashley Liles audaciously tried to steal the ransom for himself by accessing the email account of a company board member who had received the initial ransom demand and changing the email contents to reference a Bitcoin wallet controlled by himself.
– Liles also created an email address almost identical to that used by the original attacker and sent a series of emails to his employer posing as the attacker, pressuring them to pay the ransom.
– Oxford BioMedica had no intention of paying the ransom and assisted the police with their investigation, unaware that one of their own employees was attempting to defraud the company.
– Liles was discovered by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit’s Cyber Crime Unit, was found guilty, and will be sentenced on 11 July.

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