Iranian International Behind Robbinhood Ransomware Scheme Pleads Guilty – U.S. Department of Justice

An Iranian man is pleading guilty to being the mastermind behind the Robbinhood ransomware scam.

According to a recent press release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 37-year-old Sina Gholinejad of Iran has pleaded guilty to participating in a hack of multiple cities across the US, causing widespread disruption and tens of millions of dollars in losses.

Authorities say that in January 2019, Gholinejad and his co-conspirators gained and maintained illegal access to the victims’ computers, stealing sensitive data and uploading the Robbinhood malware, which in turn would take over a victim’s PC, encrypt its files, and attempt to extort crypto assets out of them in exchange for the release of the data.

Gholinejad and his team would then attempt to launder the stolen funds through crypto mixing services and chain-hopping and hide their identities using advanced methods.

As stated by Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, in the press release,

“The ransomware attack against the City of Baltimore forced the city to take hundreds of computers offline and prevented the city from performing basic functions for months.

Gholinejad’s conviction reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to bringing cybercriminals who target our cities, healthcare system, and businesses to justice no matter where they are located. There will be no impunity for these destructive attacks.”

Other cities affected included Greenville, North Carolina, as well as Yonkers, New York, and Gresham, Oregon.

Gholinejad is scheduled to be sentenced in August and could face a maximum penalty of up to 30 years behind bars.