2 Minnesota lawmakers shot at their homes, 1 dead in politically motivated shootings, governor says
Two Minnesota lawmakers — a senator and a state representative — and their spouses were shot in their homes early Saturday in what Gov. Tim Walz says were politically motivated shootings.
Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband have died, he said.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘A very toxic culture': Hacking gangs recruiting and exploiting young Canadians
Cybercrime gangs are recruiting young men from English-speaking countries like Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. According to cybersecurity experts, the gangs are part of a larger hacking community known as 'The Com' that has been linked to major data breaches, sextortion, and corporate ransom payments worth millions of dollars. 'These attacks are conducted by 17, 20, 19-year-olds,' Ian Lin, director of research and development at cybersecurity firm Packetlabs, told from Calgary. 'I think researchers like us don't give them enough credit for what they're actually capable of doing.' 'Judges and law enforcement are finally catching up' Cyberthreat intelligence firm Intel471 says individuals and groups within The have engaged 'in cybercriminal activities such as subscriber identity module (SIM) swapping, cryptocurrency theft, commissioning real-life violence, swatting and corporate intrusions.' The RCMP warn that members of The Com are also manipulating children online to commit self-harm, torture animals and produce child sexual exploitation material. 'What's special about this group is that they're native English speakers who know our culture and know how we talk, know how to coerce us into doing things that we might not want to,' Lin said. In May, U.S. officials announced the extradition of U.K. national Tyler Buchanan, 23, a reported member of Com-affiliated group Scattered Spider, which Packetlabs says is 'increasingly recruiting young Canadians to their team.' 'The reason why this proliferates is because they are receiving payouts,' Lin said. 'We see these young people able to defeat technologies that people have spent millions of millions of dollars of research and innovation and creating them.' Allison Nixon is the chief research officer and co-owner of Unit 221B, a U.S. cybersecurity firm named after Sherlock Holmes' apartment. The company specializes in helping clients deal with problems originating from The Com. Nixon recently helped unmask an alleged member from Canada who purportedly threatened her online. Connor Riley Moucka, 25, of Kitchener, Ont. is now awaiting extradition to the U.S. to face 20 criminal charges, including several counts of extortion, computer fraud and identity theft. Nixon says she is aware of other current Canadian members but declined to offer examples. 'Judges and law enforcement are finally catching up to this and they're treating them like street gangs in the more recent cases,' she said. 'I generally don't talk specifics about any actor before they're arrested because I don't want to spoil the surprise for them.' Connor Moucka Alexander Moucka Connor Moucka, also known as Alexander Moucka, in a photo taken by RCMP surveillance on Oct. 21, 2024. (Source: Court documents) 'A very toxic culture' Nixon says young people get into The Com to make quick money, to seek protection from other members, or to lash out after being victims themselves. 'Another reason why people join The Com is because they think it's cool,' she added. 'People may join the com seeking fame or infamy, which is really the same thing to them.' In addition to cybercrime, members of The Com have been accused of non-financial sextortion through online games and platforms like Discord and Telegram. 'A lot of these people are not skilled enough to actually cause harm to companies: they can't hack, they don't know technology, but it's a lot easier to threaten girls,' Nixon explained. Groups within The Com have also been accused of commissioning violence and provoking swatting incidents, which is when someone makes a false report of an emergency in order to create a law enforcement response and draw SWAT teams to a target's location. 'They have rivalries with each other and they'll carry out their internet rivalries with violence,' Nixon said. 'Sometimes they'll SWAT each other or try to hack each other's accounts, or they will pay money to send someone to the rival's houses and either throw a brick through the window or shoot at the house or try to burn the house down.' Nixon likens The Com to 'pre-internet teenage street gangs.' 'Teenagers with nothing better to do, rough home life, they meet each other, they congregate, they form a critical mass, and they perpetrate money-making schemes and violence, and they're a negative impact on their local communities, right?' she said. 'The Com is the same phenomenon, but playing out on the internet.' Nixon says members of The Com tend to boast of their stunts and criminal activity to boost their online notoriety. 'In The Com, the culture prioritizes clout and respect and how big are you compared to everybody else,' Nixon said. 'It's a very toxic culture. And within this culture, your respect, your clout. is tied to subjugation of others.' 'Young cyber criminals that are very highly skilled' Members of The Com have proven to be particularly successful at social engineering, which is when attackers use psychological manipulation to have someone divulge sensitive information or perform an action that compromises security. 'As these criminal groups are getting more information on people, they're able to tailor make these phishing exploits, they can make them more precise and sound more legitimate,' former CSIS and Canadian forces intelligence officer Scott White told 'If I were to call you and say, 'I'm with the Toronto Police Service, I know your name, I know your telephone number, I know where you live, I've been able to get that information, are you still living at this residence?' All of a sudden, you're entering into a conversation with someone who you perceive to be legitimate.' White is currently an associate professor and the director of the cybersecurity program at The George Washington University's college of professional studies in Washington, D.C. 'Anxiety is often the big motivator there, people are frightened into giving up information to someone else,' White said. 'You're dealing with young cyber criminals that are very highly skilled both in the technical component and social engineering.'
CBC
7 hours ago
- CBC
In L.A., some of those most connected to anti-immigration raids are on the protest sidelines
The march was inescapable along one of the oldest streets in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people chanted over each other, laid on air horns and sang along with live bands performing from flatbed trucks rolling down the middle of the road. As the crowd moved, people passed business after business that was closed for the day in case the peaceful "No Kings" protest against the Trump administration got out of hand. Most storefronts were boarded up with plywood. But between 3rd and 4th streets, one tiny restaurant had its glass door propped wide open, offering a silent escape from the 28 C heat. Inside, the owner went about his routine alone, in silence, behind the front counter. "We're just here to support people. You know, let them use the restroom, cool down, take a break," said Eduardo Vasquez, 39, the third-generation owner of the Casa India. "That's the least we can do for the community out here that's marching and having their voice heard." Countless protesters were front and centre outside Los Angeles city hall or other federal buildings during the demonstration, taunting stone-faced military troops and police officers stationed on the steps. But some of those with the deepest understanding of immigration raids hung far back from the tension and the cameras, showing solidarity with their community just by quietly showing up. Many of those demonstrating downtown on Saturday had signs or shirts identifying themselves as first-, second- or third-generation immigrants showing support for their friends, neighbours and family members. Victoria Santibanez, 30, whose mother immigrated to the U.S. from Chile, stood quietly at the back edge of one crowd with her husband and a few close friends. "It's just hard to see our community in so much pain right now," she said, growing emotional. "To see our neighbours, our local businesses, our schools come under threat the way they have and to have it done in such a way that was so traumatic for the community.... Whatever your reason for being here in L.A., when you're part of the community, the community protects you." L.A.'s immigrant roots are central to the city's identity, shaping its economy and culture over decades. More than one-third of its residents were born outside the United States, according to the U.S. Census. Those who are undocumented stay well away from demonstrations because they are hiding from authorities, not seeking them out. Advocates and state officials have criticized the arbitrary nature of the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which have seen people picked up from homes and car washes to hardware stores and church sidewalks. "Everybody knows somebody because that's how tight we are, and you feel that," said Rev. Gabriel Lopez, 42, whose church community in nearby Whittier, a city in Los Angeles County, was hit by ICE raids this week. "We're being cautious and careful, but we're being there for each other and protecting out community." Inside Casa India, Vasquez's mother, Doris, prepped the dough for pupusa — a savoury Salvadoran dish stuffed with beans, cheese and pork — the same way she does every day. Her mother, Vasquez's grandmother, was an undocumented immigrant when she opened the Mexican-Salvadoran fusion restaurant 35 years ago. It's become a community hub for fellow business owners from other neighourhoods, like Koreatown, Little Tokyo and Chinatown. "Deportation has always been a part of L.A. County and California ... but to this extreme level, we've never seen anything like it. People have been afraid, but never to this point where it's afraid to walk the streets," Vasquez said. "Everybody gets along. Everybody works. People from all walks of life. Nobody really messes with nobody and it shows you that a melting pot can work," said Vasquez, who is Salvadoran and Italian American.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
CTV National News: Protests erupt nationwide as military parade marches through D.C.
Watch Thousands rally across U.S. against President Trump's policies and immigration crackdown, as military parade unfolds in Washington. Joy Malbon has more.
