An FBI investigation into a criminal ransomware gang believed to be tied to Russia led to a Canadian government employee in Gatineau, the largest cryptocurrency seizure in Canadian history and hundreds of victims around the world.
Roxanna Woloshyn, Marie-Maude Denis and Linda Guerriero report:
In the early morning hours of Jan. 27, 2021, two police forces descended on a snowy cul-de-sac in Gatineau, Que., each tasked with an important role in one of the largest-ever ransomware takedowns in Canada.
Members of the RCMP, led by the cybercrime unit, were executing a search warrant at a white brick house on the street, while the Gatineau police service was on hand to make an arrest on behalf of the FBI. The codename for the operation was Project Olunar.
They had reason to believe the man inside was User ID 128 — one of the most successful hackers in NetWalker, a criminal ransomware group thought to be tied to Russia.
Read more at CBC.
NOTE: You can also watch “Hunting the Hacker of Gatineau” on The Fifth Estate on CBC-TV Thursday at 9 p.m. or stream on CBC Gem.