First screen, captured 5 days ago.

Feds suspect ransom negotiator ran ShinyHunters extortion site

What HN thinks

A ransomware story that detoured through flash-bang etiquette, entropy, DOGE and the trolley problem, in roughly that order.

Flash-bangs were excessive
Several argue stun grenades against a non-violent suspect at a computer are unjustified and that 'non-lethal' tools creep into mundane use; others counter that crime severity, not violence, should matter.
Federal security is decaying
The FBI site hack via an unpatched PeopleSoft CVE prompts blame on contractors, low government pay and DOGE cuts to CISA and 18F, plus a long debate on whether attackers inherently have the advantage.
Should paying ransoms be illegal?
Some say negotiators and payments fund further crime and should be banned; others say that lets hospitals and people suffer, and that criminals will simply adapt.

Consensus: No real consensus; most agree a negotiator secretly colluding with extortionists is a serious betrayal, but disagree on whether the negotiation industry itself is legitimate.

Recommended in the comments

Never Split the Difference (book): Suggested as a good read on how hostage negotiations work, though its relevance to ransomware was questioned.

Summarised by Claude from the comment thread 3 days ago.

Points: 251
Comments: 148
Posted: 2026-10-20 by Bender
Category: Security

shinyhunters ransomware extortion ransom-negotiation fbi krebsonsecurity

All captures:

Looks similar

Screenshot of krebsonsecurity.com: Alleged Jabber Zeus Coder 'MrICQ' in U.S. Custody

Alleged Jabber Zeus Coder 'MrICQ' in U.S. Custody (krebsonsecurity.com)

165 points by todsacerdoti 11 months ago | 65 comments

Screenshot of krebsonsecurity.com: ShinyHunters Extorted Boeing Spin-Off Prior to Arrests

ShinyHunters Extorted Boeing Spin-Off Prior to Arrests (krebsonsecurity.com)

69 points by speckx 19 days ago | 15 comments

KrebsOnSecurity report that a Jordanian teen suspected of leading ShinyHunters was detained while extorting a former Boeing business unit and is cooperating with the FBI.

shinyhunters data-extortion boeing cybercrime

Screenshot of krebsonsecurity.com: German police name alleged leaders of GandCrab and REvil ransomware groups

German police name alleged leaders of GandCrab and REvil ransomware groups (krebsonsecurity.com)

314 points by Bender 6 months ago | 154 comments

Screenshot of krebsonsecurity.com: Brazil Arrests 'USDoD' Hacker in FBI Infragard Breach

Brazil Arrests 'USDoD' Hacker in FBI Infragard Breach (krebsonsecurity.com)

29 points by codewiz 2 years ago | 6 comments

Screenshot of krebsonsecurity.com: Feds Link Cyberheist to 2022 LastPass Hacks

Feds Link Cyberheist to 2022 LastPass Hacks (krebsonsecurity.com)

365 points by todsacerdoti 1 year ago | 231 comments

KrebsOnSecurity article reporting that U.S. federal agents linked a $150 million cryptocurrency heist to master passwords cracked from the 2022 LastPass breach.

lastpass password-managers data-breach cryptocurrency-theft