📰 Romanian national was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in NetWalker ransomware attacks 🐞

Daniel Christian Hulea, a 30-year-old Romanian national, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the NetWalker ransomware operations. Operating as part of this ransomware group, Hulea admitted to extorting approximately 1,595 bitcoin (equivalent to $21.5 million) through attacks that specifically targeted critical organizations, including healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. He pleaded guilty in June to charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud. Additionally, the court ordered him to forfeit assets, including $21.5 million, investment interests in an Indonesian company, and a luxury resort property in Bali, as well as pay nearly $15 million in restitution.

Hulea was arrested in Cluj, Romania, on July 11, 2023, and extradited to the U.S. under an international treaty. His arrest underscores the global reach of law enforcement collaborations to dismantle cybercriminal networks.

NetWalker, active since 2019, operates on a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, allowing affiliates to employ its ransomware tools in exchange for a profit share. The group’s victim list includes notable targets such as Pakistan's K-Electric, Argentina's immigration agency (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones), and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), the latter having paid $1.14 million in ransom. The ransomware became infamous for exploiting the chaos of the pandemic to attack healthcare providers.

The U.S. Department of Justice has also prosecuted others connected to NetWalker, such as Canadian national Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, who allegedly profited over $27.6 million from similar offenses. International efforts against the group have included the seizure of dark web infrastructure used in their operations and issuing specific alerts by agencies like the FBI to warn potential targets.

The case reflects increasing international pressure to hold ransomware operators accountable and signals continued targeting of cybercrime groups leveraging global crises for financial gain.

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