CANADIAN MAN CHARGED IN U.S. FOR CYBERATTACKS

An investigation into a scourge of NetWalker ransomware attacks has led to the arrest of a Canadian man, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday. According to an indictment, police in Florida charged Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins of Gatineau, Que., with illegally obtaining more than $27.6 million. The accused is alleged to be part of a shadowy group of cyber criminals who have attacked several targets in Canada, including the College of Nurses of Ontario, a Canadian Tire store in B.C., and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. U.S. authorities said they had seized about US$455,000 in cryptocurrency from ransom payments in three separate attacks. They also said authorities in Bulgaria had disabled a “dark web” resource used to communicate with NetWalker ransomware victims. NetWalker ransomware has impacted numerous victims, including companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency services, school districts, colleges and universities.