US jails NetWalker ransomware affiliate

Alleged NetWalker ransomware affiliate Daniel Christian Hulea has been subjected to a two-decade prison sentence for leveraging the ransomware to extort $21.5 million worth of Bitcoin alongside a co-conspirator, SecurityWeek reports.

Aside from forfeiting $21.5 million, Hulea — who had been extradited following his arrest in Romania last year — has also been mandated to provide almost $15 million in restitution while surrendering interests in a luxury resort in India funded using the ransomware proceeds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Such a development comes months after Hulea admitted guilt to computer fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges and more than two years after similar sentencing was given to Canadian NetWalker affiliate Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins. Before being dismantled in a joint U.S. and European law enforcement operation in 2021, NetWalker had targeted organizations in the healthcare, emergency services, law enforcement, local government, and business sectors, with an attack against the University of California San Francisco netting it more than $1 million.