Data theft in Desjardins: the suspect allegedly hid a USB key

The suspect in the massive theft of personal data of 9.7 million Desjardins customers would have tried to deceive his employer, who asked him to return his computer and a USB key used to commit mischief.

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On May 24, 2019, the Fédération des Caisses Desjardins discovered that its employee Sebastien Boulanger-Dorval had “illegally seized highly classified information”, we can read court documents published yesterday.

Desjardins then contacted the suspect, who at around 3pm that same day transferred the stolen data he had initially downloaded to his work laptop to a USB key.

“After Desjardins asked to return his laptop and the USB key on which the files were downloaded and while he was working from home, Boulanger erased several files from his computer and gave Desjardins a different USB key than the one he transferred. Forty (40) secret files,” he explains. Desjardins in the documents drafted at the time, to which we were able to refer.

The USB key that Boulanger gave Dorval the same night “contains nothing,” according to Desjardins, who believes his employee’s behavior “clearly shows that he wanted to hide all traces of his error.”

Then Judge Desjardins gave exceptional emergency leave to go to Boulanger Dorval’s home to confiscate the computers.

The documents say the operation, which was carried out two days later, failed to track down the infamous USB key used to transfer the stolen information.

Sebastien Boulanger Dorval, who was fired, had access during his work to some confidential data, which he could use “to identify members who might be interested in certain Desjardins products”.

For two and a half years, he was the subject of a criminal investigation by the Sûreté du Québec in connection with data theft, but to this day he has not been charged.

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