A former Brightly Software contractor has received a two-year prison sentence for stealing company data and attempting to extort his employer for $2.5 million in cryptocurrency.
Former contractor targeted Brightly Software
Cameron Curry, 27, of North Carolina, worked as a data analyst contractor for Brightly Software. The SaaS company, formerly known as SchoolDude, provides asset management and maintenance software to more than 12,000 clients worldwide.
Brightly was acquired by Siemens in 2022 and employs more than 700 people.
A jury found Curry guilty in March of running an extensive cyber extortion scheme against the company. Court documents showed that he accessed sensitive payroll and corporate information during his contract.
Curry learned that Brightly would not extend his six-month contract. After the contract ended on 10 December 2023, he allegedly used the stolen data to pressure the company into paying him.
Stolen payroll data used for extortion
Using the online alias “Loot,” Curry sent extortion emails to dozens of Brightly employees between 11 December 2023 and 24 January 2024.
He demanded $2.5 million in cryptocurrency and threatened to release the stolen information if the company did not pay. He also warned that the ransom would increase by $100,000 for every additional month.
The messages included screenshots containing personally identifiable information. The exposed details reportedly included employee names, dates of birth, home addresses and compensation data.
Curry also threatened to report Brightly to the US Securities and Exchange Commission over an alleged failure to disclose the incident.
Company paid Bitcoin before FBI investigation
Brightly paid $7,540 in Bitcoin following the extortion emails. The funds went to a cryptocurrency wallet controlled by Curry.
After Brightly reported the case, the FBI searched Curry’s home on 24 January 2024. Agents seized electronic devices that contained evidence linking him to the Brightly data extortion scheme.
The company said it cooperated fully with the FBI and US Department of Justice during the investigation.
The prison sentence relates to Curry’s alleged insider data theft and extortion activity. It is separate from a 2023 Brightly breach involving the company’s SchoolDude platform.
Earlier Brightly breach was unrelated
In May 2023, Brightly disclosed an unrelated data breach affecting nearly three million customers and users of its SchoolDude online platform.
That earlier incident involved stolen credentials and personal information, including names, email addresses, passwords and phone numbers.
The two cases underline the risks companies face when sensitive information is accessible through internal systems. Organisations need strong access controls, clear offboarding procedures and monitoring that can identify unusual data access before it becomes an extortion attempt.
0 responses to “Data analyst sent to prison for stealing employer data and extortion”