Huntress CEO Says Employee Warned DevMan Ransomware Group About FBI Probe

Huntress CEO Kyle Hanslovan has defended a company employee after it emerged that the worker alerted the DevMan ransomware group about an FBI investigation into the criminal organization. In a blog post and interview, Hanslovan characterized the disclosure as 'poor judgment' rather than an insider threat, stating that while the act was unprofessional, he believes it did not violate any laws. The employee allegedly forwarded screenshots of FBI communications to the ransomware group, which included the names of agents involved in the probe.

Former Huntress intelligence analyst Ben Folland, who raised the initial concern, cited Hanslovan's statements as confirmation of the tipping-off. The incident places Huntress, a cybersecurity firm specializing in threat detection, in a sensitive position within the industry. Threat researchers often maintain clandestine communication with cybercriminals for intelligence gathering, but directly warning a target about active law enforcement inquiries crosses a line that many in the field argue can compromise ongoing investigations.