A US court sentenced a Canadian to 20 years in prison, who is accused of being a member of the NetWalker hacker group, which encrypted the victims’ servers and extorted cryptocurrency.
Vachon-Desjardins was arrested by Canadian police in 2021. During a search of the house, the police found $ 742,000 in Canadian dollars and wallets with 719 bitcoins, which at that time was almost $ 22 million. Later, the hacker was handed over to the US police, at the request of which the arrest was carried out.
Interestingly, the NetWalker group itself is Russian-speaking. However, the Canadian, according to the court, was “one of the most active participants.” During their activity, NetWalker hackers attacked dozens of victims, and according to some reports, the number of victims reached 400 companies and government agencies. During the attacks, the hackers received a ransom totaling at least $40 million.
Vashon-Desjardins previously worked for the Canadian Government Services and Procurement Office. He pleaded guilty to four counts, including wire fraud. At the same time, the Canadian did not surrender his accomplices, which caused genuine fury of Judge William Jung. The judge called the hacker “Jesse James of the 21st century.” Perhaps that is why Vashon-Desjardins received a long sentence – the prosecutors requested a shorter term.
After the international law enforcement operation, during which Vashon-Desjardins was arrested, the hacker groups have somewhat reduced their pressure. Some, including the Ziggy group, have announced a cessation of activity and posted keys to decrypt files.
Source: Bits
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