A former contractor has been found guilty of orchestrating an extortion scheme against a Washington, D.C.–based technology company.
According to the US Department of Justice, 27-year-old Cameron Curry aka “Loot,” targeted Brightly Software, a software-as-a-service provider acquired by Siemens in 2022. The company delivers asset management and maintenance solutions to more than 12,000 clients globally.
According to prosecutors, Curry exploited his role as a data analyst contractor to access sensitive payroll and corporate data between August and December 2023. After learning his six-month contract would not be renewed, he allegedly downloaded confidential files and used them as leverage in an extortion attempt.
Prosecutors said that one day after his contract ended on December 10, Curry began sending more than 60 threatening emails to Brightly employees. Using an Outlook account and his “Loot” alias, he demanded $2.5 million in exchange for not releasing stolen data, which included employees’ names, dates of birth, home addresses, and compensation details.
In one message, Curry warned that he would begin publicly releasing salary data and report the company to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to disclose the breach. He also claimed financial discrepancies within the company could create internal turmoil.
Despite the threats, Brightly paid only $7,540 in Bitcoin, which was traced to a cryptocurrency wallet controlled by Curry. The company reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which searched Curry’s residence on January 24, 2024, seizing electronic devices that contained evidence of the scheme.
Curry was arrested and released on bond shortly afterward. He now faces up to 12 years in prison after being convicted on six counts of interstate communications with intent to extort.
The case is separate from a previous data breach disclosed by Brightly in May 2023, in which attackers accessed its SchoolDude platform and compromised personal data belonging to nearly 3 million users.