Hacker who crippled Baltimore in 2019 ransomware attack pleads guilty

An Iranian man has pleaded guilty for his role in a ransomware attack that crippled Baltimore’s computer network in 2019, halting critical city services and costing more than $19 million. Sina Gholinejad entered the plea Tuesday, admitting his role in the scheme that took hostage computer networks of several cities, corporations and health care organizations. Once Gholinejad and his unnamed co-conspirators accessed the networks, they encrypted files and extorted Bitcoin payments via a variant of ransomware known as Robbinhood, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice....