Ex-Canadian government official extradited to face charges over ransomware attacks

A former Canadian government official has been extradited to the United States to face criminal charges alleging he deployed ransomware known as "NetWalker" to target companies, municipalities, hospitals and law enforcement during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Justice Department said that Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, of Gatineau, Quebec, was extradited on Wednesday after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida.

Prosecutors said Vachon-Desjardins is accused of launching a series of ransomware attacks between April and December 2020. During a search of his home in January 2021, investigators found and seized 719 bitcoin, which is valued to be worth more than $28 million.

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