Former Canadian Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Involvement with NetWalker Ransomware Group
Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, a former Canadian government employee, has pleaded guilty in a Florida court to charges related to his involvement with the NetWalker ransomware group. The 34-year-old was accused of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, intentional damage to a protected computer, and transmitting a demand concerning damaging a protected computer.
Vachon-Desjardins was extradited to the United States in March as part of a global crackdown on the NetWalker cyber-criminal gang that began in January. According to Justice G.P. Renwick, Vachon-Desjardins victimized 17 Canadian entities and other organizations worldwide between May 2020 and January 2021 by breaching private computer networks, hijacking data, holding it for ransom, and distributing it when ransoms were not paid.
NetWalker has been active since 2019, offering its ransomware malware to threat actors in a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model. A report by McAfee in 2020 revealed that NetWalker made $25 million in just five months that year. Court documents filed in a Florida district court stated that the NetWalker group stole a total of 5058 bitcoin in illegal payments, equivalent to about $40 million at the time of the transactions. Vachon-Desjardins was identified as one of the most prolific affiliates of the group, responsible for extorting approximately 1864 bitcoin.
Justice Renwick noted that Vachon-Desjardins was highly skilled at his cybercriminal activities, with 10-15 individuals hiring him to teach them his methods. Some of his students were likely other cyber threat actors, while others sought to enhance their network security against such attacks.
As part of his plea deal, Vachon-Desjardins has agreed to forfeit all digital assets held in his crypto wallet and various equipment purchased using illegally obtained funds. The Ontario Court of Justice has sentenced him to six years and eight months in prison.
The case highlights the ongoing battle against cybercrime and the importance of international cooperation in combating ransomware attacks. Vachon-Desjardins’ guilty plea serves as a warning to those involved in such criminal activities that law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing and prosecuting individuals responsible for cyberattacks.