2 years ago
A Canadian antheral accused of carrying retired dozens of ransomware attacks successful 2020 has been extradited to the United States, and much than $28 cardinal successful bitcoin was seized astatine his location successful transportation with the case.
Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, was indicted successful a Florida tribunal connected charges of conspiracy to perpetrate machine fraud and ligament fraud, intentional harm to a protected computer, and extortion. A protected computer is simply a machine utilized exclusively by either the U.S. authorities oregon a fiscal institution.
Vachon-Desjardins – a erstwhile IT nonrecreational for the Canadian authorities – was arrested successful Quebec successful January. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) seized 719 bitcoins (worth implicit $28 cardinal astatine existent prices) and $790,000 successful Canadian currency from his home. Canadian media report, however, that Vachon-Desjardins told the tribunal that he’d really stolen implicit 2,000 bitcoins implicit his ransomware career.
The apprehension comes amidst an planetary crackdown connected ransomware. Last November, U.S. President Joe Biden promised to bring “the afloat spot of the national authorities to disrupt malicious cyber activity” and, since then, respective large-scale operations person brought down ransomware groups including Russia-based REvil.
Vachon-Desjardins allegedly operated arsenic an “affiliate” of the NetWalker ransomware gang, which sells “Ransomware-as-a-Service” (RaaS) to affiliates similar Vachon-Desjardins, who carry retired the onslaught themselves, sharing a percent of the booty with the developers.
The Toronto Sun reported that Vachon-Desjardins was besides hired to thatch different would-be cyber criminals however to transportation retired attacks effectively.
NetWalker-made ransomware was often utilized against hospitals, exigency services, and different companies successful the healthcare assemblage during the tallness of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vachon-Desjardins faces much than 11 years successful situation if recovered blameworthy of each charges against him.
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Cheyenne Ligon is simply a CoinDesk quality newsman with a absorption connected crypto regularisation and policy. She has nary important crypto holdings.
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