Quebec Fugitive Arrested in Mexico Over Desjardins Data Breach
A Quebec man wanted for over two years in connection with the massive Desjardins data breach has been arrested in Mexico. Maxime Paquette, 40, was taken into custody by Mexican authorities in Cancun on Thursday after being sought since June 2024. Paquette had been listed among Quebec’s most wanted fugitives.
Paquette remains detained in Mexico while extradition proceedings are underway to return him to Canada, where he faces charges including fraud over $5,000, identity theft, and trafficking in identity information. The arrest stems from investigations led by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) under Portier and Project D, which probe the theft and circulation of personal data from the Desjardins breach one of Canada’s largest privacy violations.
The breach, occurring between 2017 and 2019, exposed the personal information of nearly 10 million Desjardins members and clients. The SQ credited Mexican authorities, Interpol, the RCMP, Quebec City police, and other international partners for their role in the arrest.
Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/11969570/canadian-fugitive-desjardins-arrested-mexico/
Desjardins cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/desjardins
"id": "DES1784263086",
"linkid": "desjardins",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Nearly 10 million',
'industry': 'Banking/Finance',
'location': 'Canada',
'name': 'Desjardins',
'size': 'Large',
'type': 'Financial Institution'}],
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Nearly 10 million',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal information'},
'description': 'A Quebec man, Maxime Paquette, was arrested in Mexico in '
'connection with the massive Desjardins data breach that '
'exposed the personal information of nearly 10 million members '
'and clients. The breach occurred between 2017 and 2019, and '
'Paquette faces charges including fraud, identity theft, and '
'trafficking in identity information.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'High',
'data_compromised': 'Personal information of nearly 10 million '
'members and clients',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (Extradition proceedings underway)',
'motivation': 'Fraud, Identity Theft, Trafficking in Identity Information',
'references': [{'source': 'Sûreté du Québec (SQ)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Fraud over $5,000, Identity '
'Theft, Trafficking in Identity '
'Information'},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
'third_party_assistance': 'Interpol, RCMP, Quebec City police, '
'Mexican authorities'},
'threat_actor': 'Maxime Paquette',
'title': 'Desjardins Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach'}