One step closer to the end of NetWalker
The US Department of Justice, in cooperation with authorities in Bulgaria, has announced a coordinated international law enforcement action aimed at stopping the NetWalker ransomware, bringing criminal charges against its actors and recovering ransom payments from its extorted victims.
So far, Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, a Canadian national, has been charged with allegedly earning at least $27.6 million for his NetWalker cyberattacks. Around $500,000 in cryptocurrency from ransomware has also been seized and a hidden Dark Web resource used as a means of communicating with victims has been disabled.
The law enforcement operation continues with the aim of completely shutting down this ransomware.
References:
- 27/01/2021 justice.gov Department of Justice Launches Global Action Against NetWalker Ransomware
- 27/01/2021 blog.chainalysis.com Chainalysis in Action: U.S. Authorities Disrupt NetWalker Ransomware
- 27/01/2021 zdnet.com US and Bulgarian authorities disrupt NetWalker ransomware operation
- 27/01/2021 bleepingcomputer.com US charges NetWalker ransomware affiliate, seizes ransom payments