Canadian Hacker to Return All Stolen Funds After Getting a Two-Year Sentence

A prolific Canadian hacker who primarily targeted individuals will offer full restitution to all his victims after receiving a two-year prison sentence.

Matthew Philbert from Ottawa, Canada, specialized in targeting people's computers and infecting them with malware. In some cases, he would take control of a device and use that access to transfer money from bank accounts without the victims' knowledge. In other situations, he would deploy ransomware and ask for money in exchange for unlocking the devices.

His exploits came to an end in 2021 when the Ontario Provincial Police arrested him, and he was eventually sentenced to two years in prison.

In total, Philbert claimed more than 1,000 victims, including people, businesses and even three police departments. His method was usually the same: He would send an email with a malicious attachment. When the victim opened the attachment, the device would be immediately infected, allowing Philbert to take control.

In most situations, he resorted to logging in to people's bank accounts and transferring money, but on four occasions, he deployed ransomware and extorted the victims for money. Making matters worse, once he had stolen the credentials, he would share them with other criminals, who, in turn, could use them to deploy other attacks.

According to an Ottawa Citizen report, when the police arrested Philbert, they also found 0.61943121 Bitcoin (BTC). Philbert pleaded guilty to fraud and other charges, but, more importantly, the victims will get their money back.

While the hacker hit many targets, all the cyberattacks accrued around $49,200, which will be paid back in full from the seized Bitcoin.