U.S. Authorities Charge Canadian Man in Cyberattacks

News

A federal court in Alaska has indicted a Canadian national with a scheme to commit cyberattacks, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported on Dec. 7.

December 10, 2021

Court documents say that Matthew Philbert, 31, of Ottawa, Ontario, was charged with cybercrimes involving a computer belonging to the state of Alaska between April and May of 2018.

The indictment does not specify exactly what Philbert allegedly did, other than to say he and others unknown conspired to hack the state computer in connection with medical information regarding one or more individuals, who are not named.

Philbert was arrested on Nov. 30 by Ontario Provincial Police, and remains in custody. He is charged with  one count of conspiracy to commit fraud as well as one count of fraud with computers.

This indictment is a part of police efforts to identify and fight foreign cybercriminals committing crimes targeted at U.S. citizens.

The investigation was supported by the FBI, Dutch and Canadian authorities.