Reported by 2 outlets

Timeline

1. original reporting

   Tech contractor for Brightly Software sentenced to 2 years in prison for insider attack

   cyberscoop.com · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   A tech worker who hatched an elaborate insider attack in late 2023 and attempted to extort Brightly Software for about $2.5 million was sentenced to two years in prison , the Justice Department said Thursday. Cameron Nicholas Curry, also known as “Loot,” committed a series of crimes while working as a data analyst contractor for the Siemens-owned company. The 27-year-old North Carolina man stole a trove of corporate data, including sensitive employee and compensation information, which he used to threaten various employees and executives over a six-week period in late 2023 and early 2024. Curry ultimately extorted the company for $7,540.92 in late January 2024. He was found guilty of six counts of extortion in March. Brightly Software was named as the victim in court records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina earlier this month. The asset and maintenance management software provider, which Siemens acquired in 2022, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The insider attack illustrates risks companies accept when employees, or contractors placed in roles by a third-party recruitment company, are allowed to access sensitive data on a company-owned laptop. Prosecutors said Curry used his access to the company’s network to remove corporate data for extortion while he worked for the company between August and December 2023. Curry started sending threatening emails to Brightly Software employees immediately following his last d

2. update from bleepingcomputer.com

   Data analyst sent to prison for stealing data, extorting employer

   bleepingcomputer.com · 60d ago · August 14th, 2026

   A former data analyst contractor for Brightly Software has been sentenced to two years in prison for targeting his employer in a $2.5 million extortion scheme. Brightly employs over 700 people and provides asset management and maintenance software to more than 12,000 clients worldwide. According to court documents , Curry stole sensitive documents after gaining access to the company's payroll information and corporate data, which he later used to extort Brightly after learning that his six-month contract wouldn't be extended. One day after his contract ended on December 10, he emailed dozens of Brightly employees using the Loot alias and the lootsoftware@outlook.com email address between December 11, 2023, and January 24, 2024, threatening to leak the stolen information unless he was paid a $2.5 million ransom in cryptocurrency. "We will commence the process of disseminating salary information starting January 1, 2024 in phases to all employees and will report you to the SEC after for not reporting the breach," Curry said in one of the extortion messages. "If you wish to reclaim your data, we recommend doing so promptly at 2.5 million USD in order to save your company and stocks, a