Quebec Fugitive Arrested in Mexico Over Desjardins Data Breach Fraud
Mexican authorities have arrested Maxime Paquette, a 40-year-old fugitive wanted by Quebec provincial police (Sûreté du Québec, SQ) in connection with the 2019 Desjardins data breach. Paquette, one of Quebec’s most wanted individuals, was detained in Cancún and will remain in custody while extradition proceedings move forward for his return to Canada.
Paquette faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code, including fraud exceeding $5,000, identity theft, and trafficking in identifying information. According to the SQ, he obtained and exploited Desjardins customer data from the 2019 breach, which exposed sensitive information including names, addresses, birth dates, social insurance numbers (SINs), and transaction habits of nearly 9.7 million Canadians.
Between June 27 and June 30, 2021, Paquette was found in possession of stolen Desjardins data and allegedly sold it to multiple individuals and on the dark web. The SQ collaborated with Mexican authorities, Quebec’s public prosecution service, Interpol, and other international partners to secure the arrest.
The 2019 Desjardins breach remains one of Canada’s largest data leaks, with long-term implications for affected customers. Paquette’s extradition and prosecution mark a significant development in the ongoing investigation.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/maxime-paquette-arrest-mexico-quebec-9.7272565
Desjardins cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/desjardins
"id": "DES1784226588",
"linkid": "desjardins",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '9.7 million',
'industry': 'Banking/Finance',
'location': 'Canada',
'name': 'Desjardins',
'size': 'Large',
'type': 'Financial Institution'}],
'attack_vector': 'Exploitation of previously breached data',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'number_of_records_exposed': '9.7 million',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Names, addresses, '
'birth dates, social '
'insurance numbers '
'(SINs)',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Financial Data']},
'date_detected': '2021-06-27',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2019',
'description': 'Mexican authorities arrested Maxime Paquette, a fugitive '
'wanted by Quebec provincial police (Sûreté du Québec, SQ) in '
'connection with the 2019 Desjardins data breach. Paquette is '
'charged with fraud, identity theft, and trafficking in '
'identifying information after exploiting stolen Desjardins '
'customer data.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Significant',
'data_compromised': 'Names, addresses, birth dates, social '
'insurance numbers (SINs), transaction habits',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High'},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Yes'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'motivation': 'Financial gain',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Exploitation of previously '
'breached data'},
'references': [{'source': 'Sûreté du Québec (SQ)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Criminal charges (fraud, identity '
'theft, trafficking in identifying '
'information)'},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
'third_party_assistance': 'Interpol, Mexican authorities, '
'Quebec’s public prosecution service'},
'threat_actor': 'Maxime Paquette',
'title': 'Desjardins Data Breach Fraud',
'type': 'Data Breach, Fraud, Identity Theft'}